The Parc is a predominantly residential apartment complex with some commercial activity. The complex is located in the Viaduct, down town Auckland and is bound by Market Place, Pakenham Street and Customs Street West. The complex is built around a massive 3,500 m² private park. Every apartment has either views into the park or direct ground level access.
The most fascinating aspect of this park is that it was built on top of a roof. It was one of the first roof gardens of this size to be constructed. The structure underneath the garden was developed to support extra weight around the edges of the lawn where extra depth in soil was required for the establishment of trees. Growing media was specifically manufactured to be lightweight and the depth of the lawn within the centre of the park is only 100mm. Five years on and the garden is thriving.
The Parc is a true oasis in the heart of down town Auckland. It is a garden for the senses and the seasons. It has been designed to be a place of serenity and relief from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives.
A central oval lawn provides a place for play and picnicking, while the softly curing crushed limestone paths, clipped hedges and gardens provide a range of spaces for varying degrees of privacy. A sculptural citrus orchard at the southern end of the park, under planted with clipped star jasmine provides an endless supply of limes and scent. The flowering cherry trees (Prunus ‘Awanui’), camellia hedge, wisteria and many of the garden plants offer seasonal change, dappled shade, beautiful floral displays and scent.
Large chunky timber pergolas with wisteria frame the ends of the oval path and provide a sense of division between the lawn area and the swimming pool at the northern end of the complex. A small elevated pool spills over a simple rock wall into a lower pond to provide an end focal point and add the sound of water to the serenity of this space.
We've come back to visit this park during various times of the year to enjoy the seasonal change, and been very pleased with the successful growth of the vegetation and how the residents use and adopted this space. People walk their pets, meet up with other mums and their young children and some have even converted the garden beds to vegetable and herb gardens.
