Wrapping the corner of Asquith Ave and New North Road in Mt Albert, Modal’s prominent curve and dark glazed brick has made it an instant local icon.

Although some of Ockham’s other buildings have rounded corners – Bernoulli Gardens and Hypatia also feature them – the sharp bend of Modal is surely our most discussed, drawing comparisons to the Flat Iron Building in New York City or perhaps a black polished grand piano.

Music connections are apt for Modal – its exterior is inscribed with symbols codifying the various ‘modes’ found in western music based on the major scale. Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian modes are represented on the east elevation, Aeolian and Locrian on the north.

Completed in October 2020 during the uncertain times of Covid, Modal is our first Build-to-Rent project, adding 32 one and two-bedroom residential apartments to Auckland’s undernourished rental housing stock. With an emphasis on providing its tenants alternative means of transport, the building does not have a carpark. Instead, residents share use of a Cityhop shared car and enjoy proximity to bus and train routes. Modal also has two internal bike storage rooms, optimal for those who use the beloved West Auckland Cycleway.

All this has won Modal some much- deserved attention, as it picked up an Honourable Mention at the 2021 Here Magazine Awards. “Modal is a sign of better things to come, as the city prioritises dense living along transport routes on main roads,” wrote editor Simon Farrell-Green. This is a building that illustrates how a future Tāmaki Makaurau could be – a new mode of urbanism.

845 New North Road, Mt Albert | Auckland, NZ