About
The Celestion towers on Emily Place and Anzac Avenue are in the heart of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. It is close to the famous Waitemata harbour and the bustling urban centre, and set among vintage Auckland architecture landmarks such as the art deco influenced Brooklyn and Eden Court buildings. The Celestion apartment accommodation and retail development continues this tradition of enduring quality.
Location
Located between two beautiful harbours, close to superb surf beaches, and only a few hours drive from gorgeous wintersports playgrounds, Auckland is perfectly situated for those who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle as well as the joys of urban living. The Celestion's central location puts it right next to Auckland's best shopping, dining, nightlife and fashion districts. It's all at your fingertips.
Exterior
The Celestion's design is a unique response to the building's ideal location in the heart of Auckland's cultural, commercial, and creative centre. Combining today's urban style with subtle historical influences, The Celestion is city living at its best. Timeless and distinctive, the towers of The Celestion are sure to become a landmark on the Auckland landscape.
Interior
The design philosophy is that investment is a "lifestyle choice." The Celestion interiors fuse premium international design and quality with a stylish, innovative edge to create a great living experience.
Quality
We have selected leading international and local manufacturers who ensure their processes are in line with sustainable practises to produce our custom designed kitchens, furniture and furnishings. Unlike many other developments, the Celestion's interior fit out is from materials that are not just beautiful, but sustainable too.
Style and Design
Our designer is renowned for her ability to fuse international trends with elements of New Zealand to create timeless character, warmth and beauty to a space. She has used premium wood for our furniture fittings and polished stainless finishes that are seen in many of the world's leading furniture ranges.
Her fabrics, carpets and tiles reflect the ever changing colours of Auckland's Waitemata (meaning "sparkling waters") harbour to create beauty and serenity in all spaces.
Floor Plans
Each suite in The Celestion has been planned to give you the greatest level of flexibility in layout. We've made sure that access to natural light and views is universal. We've carefully analysed the spatial configurations to get a range of designs that are truly attractive, versatile, and functional. Here's an example of the stylish urban living you can experience at The Celestion.
Each suite in The Celestion has been planned to give you the greatest level of flexibility in layout. We've made sure that access to natural light and views is universal. We've carefully analysed the spatial configurations to get a range of designs that are truly attractive, versatile, and functional. Here's an example of the stylish urban living you can experience at The Celestion.
Latest Updates
Progress Report - February 2010
Progress Report - January 2010
Progress Report - December 2009
Progress Report - November 2009
Progress Report - October 2009
Progress Report - February 2010
Work to date now includes the completion of the entire structural shell & the development is still gathering pace & achieving excellent progress, with both towers remaining well ahead of the Contract Programme.
Completed works in the last month includes more interior fit-out for several of the floors & the removal of the tower crane (ahead of the fit-out programme), which is a sure sign the development is in it's last stages.
The interior is progressing very well behind the now-completed structural work & the architect is undertaking regular & detailed site inspections to ensure the quality of the completed workmanship is maintained to the highest possible standard.
The show apartment (on level 1 in the Anzac tower) was fully completed in October & has had excellent reviews. Viewing by appointment only, (please refer to another section of the website for photos).
Progress Report - January 2010
Work to date now includes the completion of the entire structural shell & the development is still gathering pace & achieving excellent progress, with both towers remaining well ahead of the Contract Programme.
Completed works also includes the interior fit-out work for several of the lower floors (ahead of the fit-out programme). The interior is progressing very well behind the now-completed structural work & the architect is undertaking regular & detailed site inspections to ensure the quality of the completed workmanship is maintained to the highest possible standard.
The show apartment (on level 1 in the Anzac tower) was fully completed in October & has had excellent reviews. Viewing by appointment only, (please refer to another section of the website for photos).
Progress Report - December 2009
The month of November saw the development still achieving excellent progress with both towers remaining well ahead of the Contract Programme & no site issues to note.
Work to date now includes the completion of all levels of the main structure, for both towers, with the interior fit-out work progressing behind this structural work & ahead of the fit-out programme.
The show apartment (on level 1 in the Anzac tower) has been fully completed (in October) & is getting some excellent reviews. Viewing by appointment only, (please refer to another section of the website for photos).
Again, the quality of the work is closely checked by the architect, structural engineer & the various services engineers to ensure high standards are always maintained for all elements of the work.
Progress Report - November 2009
Another month on & the development still makes excellent progress with both towers remaining well ahead of the Contract Programme.
Work to date now includes the completion of level 15 of the main structure, for both towers, with the interior fit-out work progressing behind this structural work & ahead of the fit-out programme.
The show apartment (on level 1 in the Anzac tower) was fully completed last month & is now open for viewing, by appointment, (please refer to another section of the website for photos).
The quality of the work is closely checked by the architect, structural engineer & the various services engineers to ensure high standards are always maintained for all elements of the work.
Progress Report - October 2009
The development continues making excellent progress & both towers remain ahead of the Contract Programme.
Work to date now includes the completion of level 12 of the main structure, for both towers, with the interior fit-out work progressing behind this strucutral work & ahead of the fit-out programme.
The show apartment (on level 2 in the Anzac tower) is on programme for completion this month, which will then be open for viewing, by appointment.
The quality of the work is closely checked by the architect, structural engineer & the various services engineers to ensure high standards are always maintained for all elements of the work.
Progress Report - September 2009
The development continues making excellent progress & both towers remain ahead of the Contract Programme.
The work to date, as the attached photo shows, includes the main structure complete to level 10, for both towers. The interior fit-out is progressing behind this strucutral work & ahead of the fit-out programme.
The quality of the work is closely checked by the architect, structural engineer & the various services engineers to ensure high standards are always maintained for all elements of the work.
Progress Report - August 2009
The development continues making excellent progress & both towers remain ahead of the Contract Programme. In fact, the main contractor is reporting the work is slightly ahead of their target programme, for completion by early May 2010.
Regular & continuous quality inspections are still undertaken by the architect & the structural engineer as work progresses to ensure high standards are always maintained.
Please note that a live web cam feed has now been established to provide a continual link for visual inspection by all interested parties.
Progress Report - July 2009
The development works continue to make excellent progress & both towers remain ahead of the Contract Programme.
All parties on site have close liaison with one another with lines of communication & professional relationships remaining excellent.
The quality of the work is closely checked by the architect & the structural engineer as work progresses to ensure high standards are always maintained.
Progress Report - June 2009
After commencing site works at the end of March 2009, the completed work to date includes all in-ground works, the ground & second floor slabs of the Anzac & Emily towers, respectively, & the commencement of the first fix services trades.
The erection of the crane went smoothly & all works are progressing extremely well & ahead of the contract programme, with anticipated completion by mid-May 2010.
Celestion Press Release
Construction has begun on the twin tower Celestion Apartments in Anzac Avenue. It's one of only two new apartment developments currently going up in Auckland's CBD. Being built by Kalmar Construction (responsible for The Stadium Apartments and Waldorf St Martins), the Celestion Apartments will have a completed sales value of around $60 million.
Celestion's backers, Tasman Cook, have secured funds through the ANZ bank that enable them to take advantage of outstanding market opportunities. Managing director, Leonard Ross says it's clear, now's a great time to step back into the serviced apartment development arena.
"With the drop off in the number of apartments being built and a steep decline in building consents slowing future growth, there's a huge shortage of accommodation in the CBD. Yet, because of the global meltdown, New Zealand is enjoying a strong immigration wave, which looks set to continue and grow."
He says investing in the apartment market has recently become more attractive with interest rate falls and a market realignment in rentals helping to achieve strong yields.
With the collapse of many finance companies, it's likely there won't be any second tier funding available for large apartment projects such as these for at least five years. And the banks' strict lending criteria makes it difficult for developers to proceed. As a result, says Leonard Ross, "the city apartment shortage will continue to get worse."
Tasman Cook intends to capitalise on the growing trend for corporate travellers to stay in serviced apartments rather than five star city hotels. In a cost-conscious environment, they provide better value for money with much more living space. Occupancy rates show serviced apartments in New Zealand's cities are generally full whereas many luxury hotels have high vacancy rates.
The Celestion Apartments are due for completion in 2010 and Tasman Cook has secured successful Australasian hotel operator Waldorf to manage the serviced apartments. The Waldorf Group has a huge number of projects in its portfolio and is well-known for the high quality service it provides. The Waldorf focuses on durability, offering tried and true solutions for a low-maintenance product with low overheads to give investors better value for money and a secure investment.
