Grappling with the grid

Chris Barton visits the Catalina Bay Apartments in Hobsonville Point by Architectus and finds meticulous planning, embracing and disrupting the grid.

AS WE WALK DOWNHILL ON LAUNCH ROAD towards the water, the morning sun is shining, a surging Waitematā tide is high and the cicadas are in full voice – a summer din, signalling all is well, at least in this idyllic-looking part of the world. On our left are the Catalina Bay Apartments at Hobsonville Point – two towers by Architectus rising from the seabed below. I hazard a description. “It’s very modernist?” “Yes,” says Architectus principal Patrick Clifford. “Almost brutalist?” “Woah.” I’ve gone too far. “By that I mean it’s very honest in its expression of structure and materials,” I scramble. “I would say muscular; it’s got a bit of strength,” suggests Architectus associate principal Shane Parker. “It’s got quite a strong grid,” agrees Clifford. It has. An underlying…

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Architecture NZ (Digital) - 1 Issue, March-April 2025

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