Mark Huxtable from Glasson Huxtable Landscape Architects, who designed and helped transform the tired old playground - which includes an etched rope pattern in the concrete and paved edging supplied by Firth - talks about the next stage of the project, He Puna Taimoana.
“We worked well with Firth on the earlier playground project and we were keen to keep the continuity of colours and products going through to the new pool complex,” says Mark. “Firth does have a very good product price point on their PaveWare® paving which was a very important consideration on this job. They have a good range of products and sizes with different finishes which offer texture and variety in a large area of paving. And … they have a very good colour selection which helped when choosing a colour palette to match the seaside location. We didn’t want it to all be grey. The main paver used was Firth Piazza® 400mm(L) x 200mm(W) x 80mm(D) in ‘Summer Sandstone’ – a warm colour that works really well with the seaside location.”
Firth … ‘Made in New Zealand’ and affordable … for hot pools by the sea
The extremely popular and successful first stage of the New Brighton Regeneration Project which opened in December 2017 has led to the continuation of the beach side theme to the amazing He Puna Taimoana – ‘hot pools by the sea’ - which feature carefully selected paving from Firth’s PaveWare® range to blend in with the colours and tones of the sand and sea.
He Puna Taimoana pools is part of the $19.2 million New Brighton Regeneration project, led by Development Christchurch Ltd (DCL), which has the aim of transforming the seaside village which was extremely hard hit by the Christchurch earthquakes.
The complex sits on 1900m2 of land on Marine Parade, between the new playground and the existing car park, and includes five hot salt water pools ranging in temperature from 28 to 40C and a colder, small square plunge pool. The pools are split into three zones including relax and unwind, fitness, family active zones. The facility also includes changing rooms with heated floors, a steam room and sauna and on site café called Saturdays.
Mark says that one of the main considerations when choosing paving from the Firth PaveWare® range was that they are ‘Made in New Zealand’. “This is certainly a factor when considering products for projects as they have not been shipped to New Zealand and offer a much lower carbon footprint. Plus we are supporting local manufacture which is even more of a factor after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Mark Swanson from Firth was very helpful when we were going through the process of what to use,” adds Mark. “He was able to offer flexibility with finishes as well. We have some in a Bush Hammered finish and some sections in a Fair Faced finish. The different textures help with the overall look.”
“The whole complex looks amazing and seems to be a real hit with everyone who has used the recently opened facility. The outlook over the seaside is truly special especially with the sun coming up from the East. Thanks again to the team at Firth for their help, advice and support in getting this one over the line.”
Principal: Development Christchurch Ltd (DCL)
Landscape Architect: Glasson Huxtable
Paving Contractor:Trademark Paving
Location: New Brighton Beach
Images: Trademark Paving
Product: Firth PaveWare®
Holland® Black Sands in a Fair Face finish (50mm)
Walkway Black Sands and Summer Sandstone (50mm)
Piazza®Summer Sandstone Bush Hammered and Fair Faced (80mm)
Piazza® Volcanic Ash in Bush Hammered and Fair Faced (80mm)
Forum Flagstone™ Milford Sound (50mm)