Sponsored Editorial Box Design & Build This section was typical of its Waiheke Island location. Sliced out of the North Island bush, the umbrella tops of nikau fronds punctured a varied tapestry of green and the north-facing view across the valley stretched all the way to the open ocean. Sounds idyllic …but the sloping site […]

if a building can feel like it naturally 'belongs' or fits logically in a place to an environment, a time and culture, then the people that inhabit the building will likely feel a sense of belonging there as well

ALBERTO KALACH is an architect working in Mexico City whose practice, Taller de Arquitectura X has created many exceptional public works.  We showcase here some of the beautiful homes and gardens his team have created, which in all cases, show a deep respect for the environment that is noteworthy. Kalach’s concern about the emerging problems of the vast city is reflected in his work: from the $5,000.00 USD […]

This incredible ultra-modern 1100m2 concrete home by José Guedes Cruz, César Marques and Marco Marinho of Guedes Cruz Arquitectos on the Portuguese Riviera is one for your bucket list. The undisputed star of the visually arresting building is the pair of large overlapping swimming pools spread across two levels. Images by Ricardo Oliviera Alves The […]

In the NZIA Architecture Awards announced last night, five striking timber homes that interact closely with their environment were singled out for recognition.  The brief called for a beach house which takes advantage of the spectacular natural environment surrounding the site – to be used year round.The site is at the base of a steep […]

Mason & Wales Architects manipulate scale and mass to disguise the size of this large house that responds to its surroundings in a confident yet recessive manner.  The home was a winner of the NZIA Southern Architecture Awards 2018. Successfully sited, it balances living spaces that open to breath-taking vistas of Lake Wakatipu with private, […]

  Architects generally add colour through materiality: mostly natural colours derived from timber, stone, and metal. For this issue of The Design Guide, we were interested in projects that use bold colour in architectural ways. Houses and apartments with colour baked into materials, such as brick, steel, plaster or tiles. Interiors where colour drives the […]

Opportunities for urban green space are increasing as we reconcile density with human needs and sustainability. From pocket parks to green walls to communal rooftop vege plots, some clean air and domesticity is softening our cities. Written by Andrea Stevens.   The Commons rooftop garden, Melbourne (above) By Breathe Architecture, photo Andrew Wuttke The five-storey […]

  The ‘do up’ and ‘flick on’ culture that seems to define much of New Zealand and Australian housing places our homes at the centre of a business venture, a far cry from the social and urban projects they really are. Perhaps it’s time we move on from our ‘pioneer’ mentality and imagine a community […]

A common problem for many New Zealand gardens is drainage and the channelling away of excess water. But what about when landscaping is required for a dry climate where there is likely to be a lack of water for lengthy periods? Megan Wraight talks us through such a project in Central Otago in New Zealand’s […]

The initial brief to connect this Auckland house with its outdoor cooking area expanded to enhance its whole relationship with the garden. Designer Sally McLeay explains how raising levels created a greater use of space. The backyard of this 1930s house was at different levels and partially shaded. By terracing and retaining, it has become […]

Trish Bartleet shares some insights on ‘soft landscaping’ – the plants that give life and living colour to your garden. The soft landscaping in a garden should be revisited every seven years because the form and size of the plants change, and the gardens can become shady. Most gardens look their best between two and five […]

As much science and art goes into shaping the land around your home as the architecture itself. Trish Bartleet takes us around the garden. Creating the brief: your first step is to define what you want to achieve from the property. Collect all your own thoughts and ideas as well as those from anybody else […]