HANOVER PLACE
VISION
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At the heart of this project lies the innovative ‘share home’ concept—an architectural response to the growing need for sustainable, socially connected urban living. Designed by award winning Melbourne based Breathe Architects in collaboration with our local partner The Development Collective.
Created with students in mind, the building provides an alternative to traditional student accommodation—more independent, more connected, and more considered. It also appeals to city workers seeking a central, low-maintenance lifestyle that values both privacy and community.
Located on a prominent corner site in central Dunedin, this three-storey mixed-use development integrates commercial activity with compact, community-focused residential living. Through thoughtful design, the project challenges conventional housing models by prioritising communal spaces over private excess, fostering connection, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose.
The building comprises sixteen studio apartments supported by shared facilities on the ground floor, including a communal lounge, kitchen, and laundry. These amenities are positioned to encourage everyday interaction between residents, facing circulation areas that promote casual encounters while maintaining a balance of visibility and privacy. This spatial arrangement supports a socially resilient lifestyle—offering moments of solitude within a framework that encourages community.
Commercial tenancies address both Hanover and Filleul Streets, creating a fine-grain urban interface that activates the footpath and invites a dynamic relationship with the public realm. A covered arcade runs along the Filleul Street frontage, offering shelter and legibility to the commercial edge. The residential lobby is recessed to the north of this arcade, clearly defined and set back for privacy.
This development reflects a deliberate, values-led approach to urban housing—compact yet generous, efficient yet human, durable yet soft. It creates not just a building, but a small ecosystem of living and shared experience. Through its mix of residential and commercial uses, finely tuned material expression, and socially responsive planning, Hanover Place offers a compelling model for contemporary, community-oriented city living in Ōtepoti Dunedin.
Created with students in mind, the building provides an alternative to traditional student accommodation—more independent, more connected, and more considered. It also appeals to city workers seeking a central, low-maintenance lifestyle that values both privacy and community.
Located on a prominent corner site in central Dunedin, this three-storey mixed-use development integrates commercial activity with compact, community-focused residential living. Through thoughtful design, the project challenges conventional housing models by prioritising communal spaces over private excess, fostering connection, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose.
The building comprises sixteen studio apartments supported by shared facilities on the ground floor, including a communal lounge, kitchen, and laundry. These amenities are positioned to encourage everyday interaction between residents, facing circulation areas that promote casual encounters while maintaining a balance of visibility and privacy. This spatial arrangement supports a socially resilient lifestyle—offering moments of solitude within a framework that encourages community.
Commercial tenancies address both Hanover and Filleul Streets, creating a fine-grain urban interface that activates the footpath and invites a dynamic relationship with the public realm. A covered arcade runs along the Filleul Street frontage, offering shelter and legibility to the commercial edge. The residential lobby is recessed to the north of this arcade, clearly defined and set back for privacy.
This development reflects a deliberate, values-led approach to urban housing—compact yet generous, efficient yet human, durable yet soft. It creates not just a building, but a small ecosystem of living and shared experience. Through its mix of residential and commercial uses, finely tuned material expression, and socially responsive planning, Hanover Place offers a compelling model for contemporary, community-oriented city living in Ōtepoti Dunedin.
ARCHITECTURE
Architecturally, the building embraces a language of compactness and clarity. Its form is rectilinear and modest in height, comfortably integrated with its surrounding context. The ground floor is grounded in stack-bonded exposed concrete blockwork—robust, textural, and civic in its character. The upper levels contrast with profiled galvanised metal cladding, providing a lightweight counterpoint to the base while reinforcing a cohesive, material-driven expression. Anodised aluminium windows are deeply recessed and paired with vertical sun-shading fins, offering rhythm and articulation to the façade while improving thermal performance.
Material reductionism underpins the detailing strategy—“doing more with less.” Highly durable, low-maintenance finishes support both economic and environmental responsibility. Each material is chosen for its longevity, tactile quality, and contribution to a warm, resilient domestic environment. The design prioritises natural daylight and passive ventilation, with carefully placed glazing and rooftop solar panels contributing to the building’s sustainable performance.
Material reductionism underpins the detailing strategy—“doing more with less.” Highly durable, low-maintenance finishes support both economic and environmental responsibility. Each material is chosen for its longevity, tactile quality, and contribution to a warm, resilient domestic environment. The design prioritises natural daylight and passive ventilation, with carefully placed glazing and rooftop solar panels contributing to the building’s sustainable performance.
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LOCATION
Hanover Place sits within Dunedin’s walkable heart—just one block from the cafés, bars, and retail of George Street, and only three blocks from the University of Otago. Its central location supports a car-light lifestyle, where daily essentials, social spots, and public transport are all easily reached on foot or by bike.
Whether grabbing coffee on the way to work, heading to class, or meeting friends nearby, residents are connected to the rhythms of the city without the need for a car. This walkability encourages active modes of transport and a closer relationship with the neighbourhood, reducing dependence on private vehicles and supporting a low-impact way of living.
Set within a lively and evolving part of the city, Hanover Place makes the most of its urban surroundings—putting people at the centre of the experience.
