Berkeley Dallard Apartments

Tenants are moving back into the newly strengthened and upgraded Berkeley Dallard Apartments in Nairn Street – and couldn’t be happier with the results. Work started on the quake-prone building in February 2013 and finished on schedule this month. No sooner had the paint dried, the 121 units started to be lived in again.

New tenant Maria Colls says she was impressed with the modern finishing and warmth of her apartment, and is looking forward to moving into a home she’ll feel proud to invite people over to. “The Council has produced something that will give people some dignity about where they live.” Our City Housing team has seen a similar response from other tenants, including a few tears of happiness and a hug or two.

The six apartments in the smaller adjacent Etona building have also been upgraded as part of this project, but did not need strengthening. Built in 1975 and named after a former City Councillor, Berkeley Dallard Apartments is the largest building in our social housing portfolio and the first multi-storey block to be smoke-free. Most of the building was stripped back to its structure and strengthened to 70 percent of the building code using shear walls made up of braced panels to counter the effects of an earthquake.

Improvements include another lift, extra insulation, new plumbing and fire protection, and new bathrooms and kitchens. The five-bedroom family apartments are now on the lower floors for easier access to facilities and outdoor areas. As well as a tenancy advisor’s office, there’s a new community room which tenants are looking forward to using. “Having these community spaces means people will be able to build a sense of belonging,” says Maria. Outside there is extensive landscaping with grass areas, seating and a playground shared with residents from neighbouring Council apartments.

The project team included CCM Architects and Hawkins Construction. This redevelopment is part of our $420 million social housing upgrade in partnership with the Crown – making our apartments warm, dry, safe and secure, and up to modern standards for our tenants, who are people with low incomes and/or special housing needs.