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Solid gold

Major hits from the spatial residential category at the Designers Institute’s annual Best Design Awards.

Menzies Pop! House by Architects’ Creative

GOLD PINS — Residential architecture & Residential interior

Some would look at a small, derelict 1940s house and decide to demolish it. Christchurch’s Kate and Daniel Sullivan of Architects’ Creative opted to celebrate this in-situ concrete building’s unique character and work within the existing framework on a respectful refurbishment that has resulted in a comfortable, sustainable, high-performance family home.

ABOVE The extension is orientated for solar gain and has openings that utilise the predominant breezes to ensure the house maintains a temperate interior climate. With a skin of marine- grade aluminium panel cladding and windows that capture the views of the surrounding hills, the result is a light-filled volume that displays a dynamic blend of light and shadow over the course of the day. Photography: Charlotte Clements (top image) and Sam Hartnett.

Driven by a desire for a social kitchen on the ground level (pictured at the top of this article), with lots of natural light and a physical connection to the landscape, the 120m2 footprint of this coastal Canterbury dwelling was cleverly replanned while embracing sustainable materials and systems. Repair of the original exterior, structural strengthening and service upgrades created a carefully considered and consistent composition.

Photography by Sam Hartnett.

Throughout the home, elements such as bandsawn larch linings and simple white walls work with the exposed concrete and rimu floorboards of the original home to add interest through shadow and texture. Similarly, adaptive reuse of the existing rimu bearers as the kitchen’s island bench combines with modern fittings to ensure cohesion between old and new.

ABOVE Teak library, wardrobe and vanity units in the original part of the home contrast with black-stained oak finishes and brass detailing in the extension. Photography by Sam Hartnett.

A generous double-height space over the dining area extends the home by just 20m2, with access provided via floating steel and brass stairs to a pop-up extension housing the master bedroom and ensuite, plus relaxed outdoor living on the rooftop beyond it. Expressed in a palette of warm, robust and enduring materials that add a subtle layer of patina to the interior, the finishes in this extension deliberately juxtapose the original.

ABOVE Sheltered by a verandah to mitigate the potential for overheating, the living hut is oriented in a northwesterly direction, with the bedroom huts perpendicular to it. Photography: Simon Larkin.

Hidden Hills House by Warren and Mahoney

GOLD PIN — Residential architecture

Inspired by the design vernacular of the humble trampers’ hut, this sustainably built dwelling in Wanaka has been designed by Warren and Mahoney to nestle unpretentiously within the landscape and echo the outgoing and adventurous personas of its inhabitants. Like base camp
at the end of a long day’s tramp, it suggests a safe, welcoming space that has evolved in harmony with its surroundings.

Photography: Simon Larkin.


In addition to the material palette featuring New Zealand-grown Douglas fir weatherboard exterior cladding, unfinished plywood inside and steel surfaces, the hut motif is articulated through the home’s arrangement as a series of simple, separate forms that both minimise the visual effect the build has on the environment and create unique experiences as you journey from space to space and away from the main building to the separate guest hut. The bedroom hut also floats apart from the main living hut, connected by a quasi-open entrance link that creates the illusion of stepping outside.

ABOVE In an age in which big is often perceived to be better, this residence bucks the trend. A modest programme has generated spaces that are fully utilised and enjoyed. Photography: Simon Larkin.

Combining with the sun, the primary heat source here is a cost-effective air-to-water radiator system that easily achieves comfort thanks to the home’s extensive insulation and the small size of its contained spaces.

Photography: Simon Larkin.

 

 

ABOVE The street interface is softened by private patios that form a visual buffer between public and private. Photography: Ian Hutchinson.

One Central/Latimer Terraces by Warren and Mahoney

GOLD PIN — Residential architecture 

Latimer Terraces at One Central provides a powerful, aspirational architectural response to the challenge of returning people and vitality to the heart of post-earthquake Christchurch. Featuring delineated gable forms, voluminous spaces and private patios, the development by Warren and Mahoney succeeds in referencing the classic architectural style that was
threatened by the 2010 and 2011 quakes, while delivering the modern, medium-density housing the city needs to regenerate.

TOP External views and natural light fill the generous open-plan living areas. ABOVE The dwellings speak the architectural language of delineated gables and voluminous spaces — a clear reference to Christchurch’s history. Photography: Simon Wilson.

The three-storey terraces, which share a common courtyard that frames the neighbouring heritage Christchurch Club buildings, have been designed using sustainable principles, achieving
a 6 Homestar rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Each of the six 5.8m-wide units and 14 4.5m-wide units includes open-plan kitchen, living and dining spaces, three bedrooms, an outdoor balcony and internal garaging. They also have Lifemark 4 certification, which future-proofs residents’ lifestyles and investment, and enables occupants in any stage of life to enjoy an exciting urban experience.
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