Box™ Brings Multi-Unit Modernism to the Market
Design-and-build company Box™ has reached another milestone with the completion of their first multi-unit development in
Nelson.
The property, located on a corner section of the inner city, comprises six townhouses laid out in the style of an
English mews. A mix of double-storey and single-level dwellings, all with individual courtyard gardens and double
garages, are companionably grouped to create a sense of community.
The company, which has been operating since 2010, is known for its homes with a modernist aesthetic that incorporate
modular design principles and elements of prefabrication.
Box™ CEO Dan Heyworth says: “We envisioned the concept of a mews where houses are terraced around a central lane. Each
home is oriented for optimum sun on a compact footprint that encourages a sense of neighbourliness.” All dwellings in
the high-end development were pre-sold.
The post-and-beam structural system, developed by Box™, adapted well to the multi-unit project, named Sussex Mews. With
plywood cladding, stainless-steel cross-bracing and some precast concrete panels to comply with inter-unit fire rating
criteria, the complex makes a strong design statement in a locale historically populated by weatherboard houses.
Gobi-block walls on the perimeters of the site have some transparency which allows connection with the street.
The three and four-bedroom dwellings have an efficient open-plan layout, concrete floors and small internal courtyards
which bring light into the heart of the homes. Developer James Purves says: “The success of Sussex Mews just goes to
show that the residents of Nelson recognise good design and are willing to invest in it.”
While the section could have accommodated a low-rise apartment building or a cookie-cutter collection of units, the mews
option, with similar but not exact-replica homes, proved highly attractive on this inner-city section.
“Box™ offered a realistic value-for-money proposition – good-looking architecturally designed houses as well as a
guaranteed construction cost and completion date,” says Heyworth.
ENDS