Castor Crescent housing development

Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira

In November 2018, the Government announced a $1.5 billion investment over the next 25 years to work with the community on revitalising eastern Porirua. Castor Crescent is one of the new developments resulting from this investment and has provided 53 new homes to Porirua whānau.

This development encompasses a mix of social housing, from single-occupant homes to 5-bedroom family dwellings strategically designed to maximise privacy, sunlight, and community.

As part of the Porirua Development, this project focused on building better homes and great neighbourhoods for the area. Kāinga Ora is the entity formed when merging Housing New Zealand, HLC, and KiwiBuild, and this development is a partnership between Kāinga Ora, Porirua City Council, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira.

Fostering a sense of community

The main aim of the Porirua development plan was to:

Replace older state homes that are past their best with warm, dry, modern homes that are better suited to tenants' needs.
Create opportunities for homeownership by building affordable homes and housing for sale on the open market.
Design better neighbourhoods, including improving parks and streets, to make them safer and easier to live in.

All homes had to conform to a Homestar rating of 6, which means that these homes have been built above the current standards set by the New Zealand building code.

This project affirms that quality architecture can be achieved and appreciated by all, not just those who can afford it

UNO Windows and Doors worked alongside the team from Mike Greer Homes to ensure the windows met the specifications requested by the architects to meet the warm, dry home standard that qualifies for a 6 Homestar rating.

Low-E, argon-filled double glazing was used in the window units with a thermally broken spacer bar in the glass to improve the energy efficiency of the homes. This helps lower power bills and improves the overall health and wellbeing of residents.

Find out more about Low E glass ›

UNO Windows and Doors had the privilege of working on 29 of the 53 Castor Crescent homes ranging from 1-bedroom to 5-bedroom homes. The team supplied a total of 126 window and door units for lot 1 and 268 units for lot 3 of this extensive project.

Window & door units

UNO supplied over 126 window and door units for lot 1 and 268 window and door units for lot 3 in a range of aluminium fixed and opening awning windows, sliding doors, and entrance doors.

Duralloy powdercoat

Dulux Duralloy powdercoat colours used throughout this housing development were Thunder Grey and Sandstone Grey to tie in with the bold exterior colours.

Low-E double glazing

Low-E (or low emissivity) max double glazing with argon fill and thermal spacers was used for the window and door units. Low-E glass has great thermal performance helping homes stay dry and healthy.

Residential suite

The residential suite was used as it is suitable for the majority of housing and multi-residential environments. A focus on the strength of each element ensures long-lasting durability and safety.

Sliding doors

Sliding doors were used on this project as they provide a bigger opening and allow people to connect between the indoor and outdoor areas with ease.

Hinged doors

Powdercoated entrance doors were used at the front of all of the houses in this development to make a statement entry and provide a functional access way.