The Slate
Experience
A Celebration of Built Experiences + Unique Intention
The Slate Experience is a collection of principles that drive, influence and execute our projects. It's a multi-disciplinary ethos that believes creativity and pragmatism should exist in both harmony and tension. Creativity is celebrated for its role in ideation, fostering innovation and truly striking design, while pragmatism acts as a stabilising force, ensuring the viability and predictability of project outcomes.
Explore the four primary principles that make up your Slate Experience.
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Discovery
The catalyst of every project. Our passion and ability to explore, reveal and establish true intention - a project North-Star.
The catalyst of every project. Our passion and ability to explore, reveal and establish true intention - a project North-Star.
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Empathetic
DesignConnecting space with intention. Our design philosophy embodies an intelligent simplicity, born from the synthesis of diverse ideas into a cohesive whole.
Connecting space with intention. Our design philosophy embodies an intelligent simplicity, born from the synthesis of diverse ideas into a cohesive whole.
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Collaborative
Value EngineeringThe collaborative power of our multi-disciplinary teams and cross-sector experience enables us to push the boundaries of architecture and construction techniques, drive unmatched value, and deliver our projects with cost certainty and pragmatic capability.
The collaborative power of our multi-disciplinary teams and cross-sector experience enables us to push the boundaries of architecture and construction techniques, drive unmatched value, and deliver our projects with cost certainty and pragmatic capability.
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Construction
ManagementBespoke construction and project management. Slate Construction has more than 25 years of history delivering high-calibre residential and light-commercial construction projects across the North Island.
Bespoke construction and project management. Slate Construction has more than 25 years of history delivering high-calibre residential and light-commercial construction projects across the North Island.
Our Process
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Every project experience begins with a casual, friendly catch-up where we discuss your ideas, dreams, and aspirations. By sharing our thoughts in an open, candid way, we can build a meaningful relationship – crucial to the success of your project.
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We invest time discovering the way you would like to work with us, your project goals, scope, opportunities and constraints and more. A deep dive into the detail of your project to unearth and establish its true north-star. Planning, council and engineering requirements are identified. Insights from this research are produced and confirmed to ensure complete and mutual understanding of project intent.
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This pivotal stage is where the blueprint of your future building or space takes shape. Synthesising all data gathered to date, we craft a concept design – encapsulating insights from your initial brief, site survey findings regarding topography and regulatory considerations, as well as envisioned design elements and material preferences for your project. Through collaborative discussion, we'll refine this concept with input from you and our internal teams, ensuring it remains feasible and serves as the foundation for the next stages of development.
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A preferred concept is refined in this stage. We define the exact sizes and relationships of the rooms, the overall volume of the building and generate the initial set of exterior elevations. We also begin thinking about materials, inside and out by conceptualising the framework for the material palette.
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In this stage the design is refined, and final decisions are made so that it is ready for Preconstruction and Documentation. This is where our designers engage more closely with the construction and QS teams in view of developing creative solutions, ensuring budget alignment and the pragmatic, buildability of design intent. This phase initiates our coordination with the various consultants that will bring their expertise the project with material selections, interior, lighting and landscape design etc.
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This is where the design, construction and QS teams collaborate to configure your project for delivery. All design and material details are compiled, specific labour and supplier partners are identified through a transparent, comprehensive tender processes, and a complete fixed-price construction contract is created, discussed, refined and confirmed. Preconstruction is initiated with you meeting assigned project manager and project foreman, reviewing site review schedules, quality control systems established, risk mitigation strategies implemented and preliminary project scheduling/sequencing – all to ensure the detailed establishment of form and design intent.
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A detailed description of the building work is put together that includes general arrangement drawings, detail drawings, schedules (lists), specifications (written instructions) and contracts. This set of documents will be inspected by the council before they issue a building consent, and by the construction managers and trades as they prepare for construction initiation. Think of it as an instruction manual. During this stage we coordinate the work of any other consultants that are involved in the project and incorporate their information into the documents as well as conduct necessary tasks to prepare the site for construction.
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Building work commences! Siteworks and building pad prep is completed, services are established, and any retaining or blockworks are completed. Required council inspections are conducted before foundation construction and pour begin. This phase concludes with the siteworks, foundations and floor pad complete – ready for framing structures and more.
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Your design begins to materialise into its built form. This phase is traditionally one of the more memorable where primary structural work – framing, steelwork, truss, roof forms – are erected and then ‘closed in’ with the cladding, materials and joinery specific to your project. This phase ends with the buildings form complete, ready for interior and exterior detailing.
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This is a very simplistic, broad overview of a labour intensive, complex yet fun and engaging phase where the true uniqueness of your project is realised. Craftsmen, specialists and consultants apply their expertise in forming interior detail, installing finishings, manufactured spaces and complementary accents allowing your projects character, beauty and intention to emerge.
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This is where final touches and finishing are applied, landscaping efforts begin, compliance related tests and certificates are issued and the building is put through rigorous and precise quality reviews by the teams at Slate, involved consultants and yourself – the owners. Refinements are identified and made, and the project prepared for handover.
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Project completion! This phase is a result of the engaging, creative and involving journey through the Slate Experience An official handover is conducted where all necessary certifications, warranties, guarantees are provided, and Slate's post build review process is explained and confirmed. In this phase we have together navigated an intricate yet satisfying journey, one where the true reward is realised here at handover – your own beautiful, intelligent, bespoke new space, completed and ready to enjoy.