Built on the site of an old leather factory, Station R is tucked into a leafy pocket of Mt Eden right next to the train station.

As Auckland’s rail corridors become ever-more utilised, Station R is in a prime position for heading east or west.

Station R is our sixth development, opening in 2015. It features Ockham’s signature top floor resident’s lounge and deck, so that everyone who lives in its 37 apartments can enjoy the north-west vista and a bit of sun. This is very much a project of urban re-generation – Fenton Street was a heavily industrial area with no vision for a residential build prior to the addition of Station R.

Design-wise, the northern face of the building picks up on the aesthetic of the adjacent train tracks, with wood panels around the balconies alluding to railway sleepers. The seemingly random arrangement of the wall panels, concealing the apartment grid behind, echos the movement of passing trains, while the development’s form follows the curve of the street and railway line. Shuttered cast concrete, to which oxides have been added, further creates a rough sawn, timber-like finish, and hints at the site’s industrial past. All of this earned Station R a place on the 2018 Home of the Year Shortlist.

As well its railroad surrounds, the name Station R celebrates two noteworthy local great thinkers – University of Auckland statisticians Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka. In the early 90s the talented duo developed R, an important open-source statistical software and programming language.

11 Fenton Street, Mt Eden | Auckland, NZ