Strata® Bricks set the tone for modern Kāpiti Coast housing
Aesthetics, colour, and shape were the main reasons given by Jim Fraser, Development Director at Thames Pacific Group, for choosing Firth’s Strata bricks for Odesa - a residential housing development of 41 stand-alone villas, ranging from one to three bedrooms, situated in Paraparaumu on the Kāpiti Coast just north of Wellington.
“We decided early in the design process that we wanted the individual homes to be easy-care and low-maintenance for future owners,” explains Jim. “So a brick cladding with a coloursteel roof was the obvious choice for Odesa, which is actually the smallest development we’ve done to date due to current market conditions.”
Jim says he was introduced to Firth Strata brick by online research and that the brick’s aesthetics and appealing colour choices made the decision easy - helped along by a competitive price!
“Fraser Kirby, Firth’s Sales Representative, has been really good to deal with and has really looked after us,” says Jim. “Even though the bricks are manufactured in Nelson, Firth has never faltered with deliveries, which have been on time and issue-free. We’re very happy with the service and we love the look of the brick. In fact we’ll be using Firth Strata Brick in Kilmarnock, a retirement village we’ve launched to market in Berhampore in south Wellington with construction likely underway in April 2026.”
“Shape and colour - the aesthetics of Strata - were key. Price played a role, but it wasn’t the driving factor,” adds Fraser.
While the star of the show may be the Strata brick cladding, Fraser says Firth has also supplied all the concrete for the floor slabs through trusted customer Reliable Foundations Ltd - known to everyone as RFL. “We trust and use RFL for all our design and build work,” adds Jim. “The bricklayers are also using Dricon Mortar rather than traditional mixing mortar.”
“The renders we used on the website were created before we discovered the Firth Strata Brick. We’ve selected Onyx (black), Graphite (grey), and Premium White as the three colour options for the villas,” says Jim.
Check out Strata Brick‘s colour choices
With Firth having supplied 50% of the 160,000 Strata bricks required for the project, Jim says 50% of the development is now complete. Full completion is expected July 2026.
Strata is our slimline brick. The long, lean lines of the Strata Brick fit beautifully into today's design aesthetic.
Odesa Housing Development is a new housing development located at 160 Mazengarb Road, Paraparaumu, on the Kāpiti Coast, within the greater Wellington region.
- The development offers 1, 2, and 3-bedroom single-level, standalone villas with a striking gable-style architecture which are all on freehold titles meaning there are no body corporate fees.
- Accessibility: Many villas are designed to Universal Design Standards, making them accessible/wheelchair friendly, and optional in-home care services are available.
- More information can be found on the project's website: odesa.co.nz
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