Category Archives: New Home

RESONANT HOUSE / Auckland

RESONANT HOUSE Auckland Watching the densification of Tāmaki Makaurau take hold over the last decade, an adventurous couple with a long history of living on this Parnell site decided to utilise their large property in a new way. In their retirement, they had an idea for a subdivided, but shared, property. They would have their…

SHAPESHIFTER / Omaha

Omaha

An escape from a city apartment, the client was looking for a looser, more open space to spread out in a home well connected to the sun. A collector of sculpture and paintings, a sculptural home was the intent, providing an interesting and dynamic getaway, largely for a couple, but with the ability to expand, catering for gatherings of the extended family.  The house was to be made of materials appropriate to the marine environment, requiring minimal maintenance, with a simplicity and robustness.

Situated at the Northern tip of the Omaha Peninsula this house sits boldly on a flat site within its semi-suburban context and looks out towards an estuary to the west. A habitable sculpture with a dynamic roof, a chevron delineating interior circulation, stairs, and a future roof terrace accessed with a high-level ‘pop out’ exit. Deliberately, there is no garaging- cars are ok in the elements! The interior spills out onto the lawn, with positioning to accommodate a ‘tent city’ on the section

MOERAKI HOUSE / Otago

MOERAKI HOUSE Otago Moeraki House sits atop a hill at a coastal location adjacent to the famed Moeraki Boulders. Conceived as a series of prefabricated pods utilising standard construction detailing, each pod is modified to reflect internal space. The long and narrow footprint of the house capitalises on the otherworldly North-eastern view to the ocean…

BACH BACH / Raglan

BACH BACH — NZIA Award 2016 / Waikato Bay of Plenty Raglan Classical musicians are trained in nuance – searching for colour and meaning in their musical tone and expression – as well as in the building blocks of rhythm, pitch and dynamics. This house for an opera singer and her husband takes elements of…

KUAOTUNU HOUSE / Coromandel 

KUAOTUNU HOUSE — NZIA Award 2008 / Award for Architecture 2008 Coromandel The intention was to renovate an existing holiday home for a family on a dramatic site in Kuaotunu. The 70s bach had served the family well for many years and was imbued with family memories. It was too valuable as a family artefact…

TE HINAKI / Warkworth

TE HINAKI Warkworth This project presented with an unusual site in an estuary context. Situated right on the harbour edge, the site borders an ancient Maori kai moana area which was reclaimed last century for farmland. The wetland origin of the site, which confers a unique environmental quality combined with uncertain ground conditions, became a…

TUTUKAKA HOUSE / Matapouri Beach

TUTUKAKA HOUSE — NZIA New Zealand Award 2011 / New Zealand — NZIA Award 2011 / Auckland Northland Matapouri Beach Designed as a refuge from the busy city lives of the owners, this house provides relaxed holiday living on the Tutukaka coast.  The plan is organised around a central spine, with spaces oriented to specific…

STEP ISLAND RETREAT / Bay of Islands

STEP ISLAND RETREAT Bay of Islands Motukawaiti is a privately owned island situated 3km offshore from mainland New Zealand, in the Cavalli Islands group, 20km north of the Bay of Islands. The project included the restoration of an existing turn of the century cottage, with the addition of four pavilion structures, to provide accommodation and…

EAGLES NEST / Bay of Islands

EAGLES NEST Bay of Islands The brief called for a spiritual refuge for the owners of the house and their guests.  The dramatic isolation of the site afforded unrestricted openness in design, allowing a seamless connection with the exterior, taking up 360° views of the landscape. The temple like pavilion sits long and low on…

KAIPARA HOUSE / Kaipara

KAIPARA HOUSE — NZIA Award 2008 / Award for Architecture 2008 Kaipara The clients, a courageous couple in their late 70s, initially wanted a modest house that would “look like a Lockwood”. This concept evolved over time to produce a home that was much more responsive to the rugged west coast site and could be…

NOHOROA HOUSE / Kapiti Coast

NOHOROA HOUSE — NZIA Award 2016 / Wellington Kapiti Coast Nohoroa is the name of the family farm where one of our clients spent their childhood and is reused in this project to reflect that continuity with their past and hopes for the future. The brief was for an easy, nurturing and memorable family home…