Nelson architect Jeremy Smith writes about transforming a commercial construction system into a cost-efficient, robust and poetic family home. Text Jeremy Smith. Photography Patrick Reynolds. Architecture to us is about questions. What is important? Who needs what? What makes it sing? Questions allow us to break a project down into key elements and make each […]

In reference to the simple fishing and summer cottages of Taieri Beach, this modern bach design affords more height and volume. Text Mason & Wales, Photography Ewen Livingstone The cottages of the coast are a product of their environment – influenced in scale and form by function, affordability and DIY construction, and often involving building additions and […]

Co-housing offers a return to a more integrated and social living environment, with lower capital cost and energy use for a sustainable architecture. Architect Andrew Benn and his mother Suzanne test the concept in Sydney. Photo Tom Ferguson. With housing affordability now a major policy issue for our cities, and the need for sustainable housing […]

The B+B House has a sense of the monumental, a feature of Brazilian modernism with its open, poetic and optimistic character. Clean, cubist forms are influenced by local construction technology, but also by the climate and way of life. Raw concrete allows abstract modelled forms, while its passive cooling potential moderates the climate. Photos Fernando Guerra […]

Houses that reflect physical or poetic qualities of a place become more powerful and memorable. Here are three ‘buildings in the landscape’ that respond to the uniqueness of their environment. Photos Simon Devitt. Lake House by Stevens Lawson Architects On the edge of a South Island lake, the folding forms of this architecturally-designed house camouflages […]

Congratulations to all Friday night’s award winners at the NZIA Architecture Awards! Awards jury convenor, Auckland architect Pete Bossley commented: ”It has been a strong year in New Zealand architecture, and the buildings we saw amazed and enticed us. It was a privilege to visit them, and a challenge to judge them.” Here are the new houses […]

Architectural practice kerr ritchie  explain their approach to integrating comfort and seasonal warmth into two South Island houses. Living and designing in the south of New Zealand brings rewards and challenges. Perhaps the most significant factor is that we have very distinct seasons. Summers can be very hot whilst winters can feel prolonged and drawn […]

The chiselled form of this courtyard house echoes a landscape of extremes. Architect Dominic Glamuzina discusses the need to address the cold, and embrace the warmth, of Central Otago. Text Dominic Glamuzina. Photography Patrick Reynolds and Sam Hartnett. Working to a thoughtful brief and rigorous budget, Aaron Paterson and I looked at old building practices […]

Our latest issue is out now – Creating Economy by Design – where we investigate cost strategies in residential architecture, looking at how careful design can lead to innovations – building more with less, creating smaller but more interesting spaces, making houses simple but smart – and how industrial materials might be used to create homes that are robust, […]

British practice Carl Turner Architects has reimagined the terrace house on a brownfield site in Brixton. Low energy use, high density, and a flexible plan increase the building’s usability and help future-proof it for changes in occupancy. Photography Tim Crocker. The Slip House is a prototype development that offers dense, flexible urban living. Built on […]

Clustered together at the centre of the Seatoun Waterfront development in Wellington, these interlocking courtyard houses challenge the suburban archetype of detached houses on discrete sections. Nick Barratt-Boyes of Studio Pacific Architecture presents a different model for contemporary suburban life. The traditional approach to suburban development in New Zealand cities sees each house sited approximately […]

Architect Andrea Bell and interior designer Karen Ngan Kee discuss how architecture and interior design can work to create a seamless whole. When approaching a project, we don’t bring a ‘house style’. As an architect-interior designer team, each project is entirely unique. We absorb our client’s values, needs and wants. We examine the site and […]

Understanding the relationship between space and light is fundamental to designing spaces that are to be lived in. Architect Marc Lithgow shares some important insights from a recent project. With this project, we wanted to arrange space, light and materials so as to transform a project constrained by its location on-site into an open and […]

Melbourne-based architect Peter Johns demonstrates that when it comes to architecture, there are many ways to breathe new life into old bones. Why renovate? There are plenty of reasons to improve a home. Perhaps your family’s needs have changed. You may need more space or want to use your home’s spaces differently as family circumstances […]

The era in which your home was built can be an indicator of the direction your renovation will take, and also, potentially, of the issues you may encounter. Renovating villas and transitional villas — 1880s to 1920s Sturdy kauri classics, New Zealand timber villas have a central hallway with a kitchen and bathroom in the ‘lean-to’ […]

Prefabrication in factory-controlled conditions is gaining traction against traditional onsite building, particularly in New Zealand’s wet winters. This process has advantages in terms of speed, quality and cost. The Studio 19 Bach in Coromandel New Zealand was a collaborative project consisting of Dave Strachan and Marshall Cook in conjunction with 16 third year Unitec architecture students, […]

A duty of care to the environment is now built into every house plan. Dave Strachan takes a long-term view. Sustainable building involves designing a structural solution that meets desired living and occupancy needs whilst placing as light a load upon the planet as is possible. Buildings that are designed to be comfortable in all […]

The process of shaping design is always a dialogue between form and context. New Zealand architect Paul Clarke guides us through the conversation. The process of designing should be a journey – one that is enjoyable and engaging for both you and your architect. Quality design is more than simply the way that spaces relate […]

Smart technology can reduce home running costs and even support sustainability. David Ponting points the way. Through greater understanding of smart technologies, your home can be designed to function at lower annual running costs while providing a more sustainable and comfortable living environment. Given the accessibility of information about ‘technology based sustainability’, the first step […]