Architecture
New Zealand's Top Architectural Designers of 2016
The winners of this year's prestigious ADNZ awards celebrate New Zealand's diverse cultures and landscapes
Nearly 150 architectural designers competed for this year’s Architectural Designers’ New Zealand (ADNZ) Resene Architectural Design Awards, from which national winners have just been announced. The nine winning projects, chosen from finalists around the regions, celebrate the most innovative and creative architectural designs in residential new homes, alterations, interiors and commercial properties. The judging panel included past winner Graeme Boucher, of Coast Edge Design; Dr Duncan Joiner, chief architect at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment; and Michael Davis, director of architecture programs at the University of Auckland.
Let’s take a look at some of the winning designs, and hear what the judges had to say about them.
Let’s take a look at some of the winning designs, and hear what the judges had to say about them.
The palette of quarter-cut tawa veneer plywood, oak detailing, and concrete floors creates an enveloping warmth inside.
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Crow’s Nest
Winner: Residential Compact New Home up to 150 square metres
Designer: Tane Cox, Red Architecture
Location: Whale Bay, Raglan
The owners of this surfers’ stay at a popular West Coast beach needed to be able to check the surf from an elevated position, as well as have a place to crash when not surfing. They also wanted to be able to relocate the dwelling if they wanted a more substantial development later on. Cox decided that the Crow’s Nest would focus not on the comforts of traditional living spaces, but be a celebration of surfing.
Winner: Residential Compact New Home up to 150 square metres
Designer: Tane Cox, Red Architecture
Location: Whale Bay, Raglan
The owners of this surfers’ stay at a popular West Coast beach needed to be able to check the surf from an elevated position, as well as have a place to crash when not surfing. They also wanted to be able to relocate the dwelling if they wanted a more substantial development later on. Cox decided that the Crow’s Nest would focus not on the comforts of traditional living spaces, but be a celebration of surfing.
High-end extravagance such as lavish fittings, flashy entryways and showy kitchens were put aside to ensure the rooftop view was the showpiece. A timber foundation and pavilions scaled to fit within transport restraints, along with a removable rooftop deck and balustrade screen, mean the building is relocatable. The sheet steel cladding and internal plywood linings can cope with being moved.
The lookout platform on the roof is a key element of the design.
Judges’ comments: “A strikingly simple scheme consisting of two pavilions on a deck. Careful detailing of everyday architectural elements makes all the difference. This is a model
that has value and implications beyond the beach house and into the discussion of affordable housing.”
ADNZ CEO Astrid Andersen agreed with the judging panel; “Tane Cox is a truly inspirational designer. He has an eye for detail and interior design as well as an innate ability to create homes that can only be described as young, fresh and cool.”
Judges’ comments: “A strikingly simple scheme consisting of two pavilions on a deck. Careful detailing of everyday architectural elements makes all the difference. This is a model
that has value and implications beyond the beach house and into the discussion of affordable housing.”
ADNZ CEO Astrid Andersen agreed with the judging panel; “Tane Cox is a truly inspirational designer. He has an eye for detail and interior design as well as an innate ability to create homes that can only be described as young, fresh and cool.”
Bradnor Road House
Winner: Residential New Home over 300 square metres
Designer: Cymon Allfrey, Don Roy, Cymon Allfrey Architects
Location: Fendalton, Christchurch
Cymon Allfrey Architects won two national titles, including one for this house that replaced a home lost in the 2010/2011 earthquakes. The architectural designers were asked to create a contemporary home that was light and open, embracing the stream aspect to the north and the existing garden to the east, and fitting with the client’s love of mid-century modern architecture.
Winner: Residential New Home over 300 square metres
Designer: Cymon Allfrey, Don Roy, Cymon Allfrey Architects
Location: Fendalton, Christchurch
Cymon Allfrey Architects won two national titles, including one for this house that replaced a home lost in the 2010/2011 earthquakes. The architectural designers were asked to create a contemporary home that was light and open, embracing the stream aspect to the north and the existing garden to the east, and fitting with the client’s love of mid-century modern architecture.
The house was built around a series of structural portals to create a grid, and uses a gentle sloping roof plane resting on two dark, horizontal cedar board masses.
Windows let in the light and reinforce the geometry of the roof. The design connects the occupants to the stream view as they navigate through the house.
Judges’ comments: “The design [is] an elegant project. Set between river and road, the building and landscape intentions are held in a sensitive balance. What we have here is a diverse set of briefs from clients who wanted to push the envelope. It is wonderful to see the inspiring work that can be accomplished when the right project and designer come together.”
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Judges’ comments: “The design [is] an elegant project. Set between river and road, the building and landscape intentions are held in a sensitive balance. What we have here is a diverse set of briefs from clients who wanted to push the envelope. It is wonderful to see the inspiring work that can be accomplished when the right project and designer come together.”
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Gleneagles Terrace
Winner: Multi-unit Dwelling
Designer: Craig South, Cymon Allfrey Architects
Location: Christchurch
This creative and elegant design provides two family homes with similar forms. Each dwelling maximises the building envelope to create large internal living spaces to suit each family’s dynamics, as well as strong links to the landscaped outdoor courtyards overlooking the waterway at the rear.
Winner: Multi-unit Dwelling
Designer: Craig South, Cymon Allfrey Architects
Location: Christchurch
This creative and elegant design provides two family homes with similar forms. Each dwelling maximises the building envelope to create large internal living spaces to suit each family’s dynamics, as well as strong links to the landscaped outdoor courtyards overlooking the waterway at the rear.
Each home has guest accommodation on the ground level and private spaces on the first floor. The houses are slightly offset to ensure each gets natural light without compromising privacy.
Judges’ comments: “The design’s two parts constitute its compositional whole. A unifying architectural vocabulary of common elements and details articulate an exemplar of high-end urban infill housing.”
Judges’ comments: “The design’s two parts constitute its compositional whole. A unifying architectural vocabulary of common elements and details articulate an exemplar of high-end urban infill housing.”
Lucerne Home
Winner: Residential Alterations and Additions
Designer: Allan McIntosh, Buildology
Location: Remuera, Auckland
The architectural character of this prominent house built in 1923 had been lovingly maintained over the years, so McIntosh’s brief was to discreetly accelerate it into the 21st century. The underground four-car garage is the ultimate hideaway for the owner’s vehicle collection – no easy task in a heritage area.
“The existing streetscape consisted of a historic marble retaining wall with a single-car garage, which were to remain untouched,” McIntosh says. “Clever design allowed us to transform the existing single-car garage into the entry … the new garage would be neatly tucked away out of sight, with the streetscape and front façade of the house remaining untouched.”
Winner: Residential Alterations and Additions
Designer: Allan McIntosh, Buildology
Location: Remuera, Auckland
The architectural character of this prominent house built in 1923 had been lovingly maintained over the years, so McIntosh’s brief was to discreetly accelerate it into the 21st century. The underground four-car garage is the ultimate hideaway for the owner’s vehicle collection – no easy task in a heritage area.
“The existing streetscape consisted of a historic marble retaining wall with a single-car garage, which were to remain untouched,” McIntosh says. “Clever design allowed us to transform the existing single-car garage into the entry … the new garage would be neatly tucked away out of sight, with the streetscape and front façade of the house remaining untouched.”
Judges’ comments: “A brave approach to renovation. McIntosh had taken trouble to ensure the house was represented in the way that would have originally been intended, including a dramatic stair proceeding from the bunker to enable the owner to enter this early 20th century house in a 21st century fashion.”
“This design really has a talking point and is an outstanding example of successfully defying the seemingly impossible. Allan McIntosh’s extraordinary design provides for the client’s requirements, while respecting the integrity of the home and its neighbourhood,” adds Andersen.
“This design really has a talking point and is an outstanding example of successfully defying the seemingly impossible. Allan McIntosh’s extraordinary design provides for the client’s requirements, while respecting the integrity of the home and its neighbourhood,” adds Andersen.
Morice and Fowler
Winner: Resene Colour in Design Award
Designer: Ben Solomon, Nomolos
Location: Blenheim, Marlborough
Nestled among vineyards in the heart of Marlborough’s wineries, the renovation added a master suite, garage, laundry, new grand entrance, swimming pool and barbecue. Solomon says the home reflects the personality of its beautiful surroundings and eccentric owners.
Winner: Resene Colour in Design Award
Designer: Ben Solomon, Nomolos
Location: Blenheim, Marlborough
Nestled among vineyards in the heart of Marlborough’s wineries, the renovation added a master suite, garage, laundry, new grand entrance, swimming pool and barbecue. Solomon says the home reflects the personality of its beautiful surroundings and eccentric owners.
The gigantic windows look across the swimming pool to a mural by Blenheim-based painter and printmaker, Craig Bluett. The vibrant colours used in the design were selected by the owners to represent the seasons. “The mural artistically represents the owners in a semi-fictitious and timeless world with a range of extinct birds, each with its own personal and fascinating story,” Solomon says.
Judges’ comments: “Wow! The [Gleditsia triacanthos] tree has been embraced alongside the radiant and enticing interior colour palette.”
“An outstanding, vibrant beauty! It is wonderful to see playfulness, storytelling and bold personality in an extraordinary, collaborative effort,” says Andersen.
Judges’ comments: “Wow! The [Gleditsia triacanthos] tree has been embraced alongside the radiant and enticing interior colour palette.”
“An outstanding, vibrant beauty! It is wonderful to see playfulness, storytelling and bold personality in an extraordinary, collaborative effort,” says Andersen.
A-cute House
Winner: Residential Interiors
Designer: Tane Cox, Red Architecture
Location: Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
Designed for a family of four, the A-cute House is a small, three-bedroom home on a tight urban site. Cox placed the minimal black plywood kitchen at the centre of the home, concealing storage below bench level to allow the upper walls to be clear, enhancing the sense of space. Delicate fittings and a strong geometric palette, including vertical cedar, marries the interior with the exterior and gives warmth to the harder surfaces.
Judges’ comments: “The material selection resulted in a delightful interior. The placement of some exceptional fittings punctuates the space and adds meaning to the proposition. Consistency in the use and pairing of materials flows through the whole scheme inside and out. Excellent presentation.”
Winner: Residential Interiors
Designer: Tane Cox, Red Architecture
Location: Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
Designed for a family of four, the A-cute House is a small, three-bedroom home on a tight urban site. Cox placed the minimal black plywood kitchen at the centre of the home, concealing storage below bench level to allow the upper walls to be clear, enhancing the sense of space. Delicate fittings and a strong geometric palette, including vertical cedar, marries the interior with the exterior and gives warmth to the harder surfaces.
Judges’ comments: “The material selection resulted in a delightful interior. The placement of some exceptional fittings punctuates the space and adds meaning to the proposition. Consistency in the use and pairing of materials flows through the whole scheme inside and out. Excellent presentation.”
Freeman’s Dining Room
Winner: Commercial Interior Architecture
Designer: Nic Curragh, Objects Ltd
Location: Lyttelton, Canterbury
The reconfiguration of the popular restaurant was done in two phases to keep the business running. The dining area needed a mix of differing sized booths and tables for two to six settings, centred on a bespoke, handcrafted operable cedar louvre wall. The bar was reconfigured in stage two to include a small-scale coffee roaster and bar leaner, with a folded plate-steel bar surround and frontage. The rich detail and restrained material palette has refined a successful fine-dining restaurant.
Judges’ comments: “Spatially it achieves a level of intimacy despite the number of covers. This is achieved through material, detail and successful planning that begins with the way the bar and restaurant are separated. Ordinary materials of a consistently high quality are detailed in such a way as to make them special. Fittings and fixtures are well selected to work with the overall spatial and material theme.”
Winner: Commercial Interior Architecture
Designer: Nic Curragh, Objects Ltd
Location: Lyttelton, Canterbury
The reconfiguration of the popular restaurant was done in two phases to keep the business running. The dining area needed a mix of differing sized booths and tables for two to six settings, centred on a bespoke, handcrafted operable cedar louvre wall. The bar was reconfigured in stage two to include a small-scale coffee roaster and bar leaner, with a folded plate-steel bar surround and frontage. The rich detail and restrained material palette has refined a successful fine-dining restaurant.
Judges’ comments: “Spatially it achieves a level of intimacy despite the number of covers. This is achieved through material, detail and successful planning that begins with the way the bar and restaurant are separated. Ordinary materials of a consistently high quality are detailed in such a way as to make them special. Fittings and fixtures are well selected to work with the overall spatial and material theme.”
Wharemate for Tanatana marae
Winner: Supreme Award
Designer: Aladina Harunani, Apa Architects
Location: Waimana, Bay of Plenty
The riverside Tanatana marae [meeting place] is home to Ngāti Rere, a hapū [sub-tribe] of Ngāi Tuhoe, one of 12 marae in an area known as the doorway from the north into the Te Uruwera ranges. The wharemate [house of the dead] was commissioned as a place for whānau [family] to mourn their deceased (in Tuhoe tradition this is not done in the wharenui meeting house, which sits alongside).
Client representative Martin Rakuraku says: “Traditionally the oratory takes place outside, whether it’s rain, hail or sunshine. But we do occasionally get bad weather here and it’s important for people to be warm and comfortable. We wanted this new building to house the mourning family and to be a symbol of the future.”
Rakuraku says the new wharemate is an awesome blend of old and new, and attracts visitors from all over. He praised Harunani’s architectural expertise and his cultural understanding. “Now we are much better positioned to carry out our tikanga [spiritual practice] and we’ve got an incredible building as well,” says Rakuraku.
The wharemate design is pragmatic, accessible to kaumatua [the elderly] and people with disabilities, there is mattress storage for sleeping arrangements and a physical connection with the wharenui.
Winner: Supreme Award
Designer: Aladina Harunani, Apa Architects
Location: Waimana, Bay of Plenty
The riverside Tanatana marae [meeting place] is home to Ngāti Rere, a hapū [sub-tribe] of Ngāi Tuhoe, one of 12 marae in an area known as the doorway from the north into the Te Uruwera ranges. The wharemate [house of the dead] was commissioned as a place for whānau [family] to mourn their deceased (in Tuhoe tradition this is not done in the wharenui meeting house, which sits alongside).
Client representative Martin Rakuraku says: “Traditionally the oratory takes place outside, whether it’s rain, hail or sunshine. But we do occasionally get bad weather here and it’s important for people to be warm and comfortable. We wanted this new building to house the mourning family and to be a symbol of the future.”
Rakuraku says the new wharemate is an awesome blend of old and new, and attracts visitors from all over. He praised Harunani’s architectural expertise and his cultural understanding. “Now we are much better positioned to carry out our tikanga [spiritual practice] and we’ve got an incredible building as well,” says Rakuraku.
The wharemate design is pragmatic, accessible to kaumatua [the elderly] and people with disabilities, there is mattress storage for sleeping arrangements and a physical connection with the wharenui.
Judges’ comments: “The symbolism within the building’s basic structure was particularly meaningful. You can see the big, shallow arches which end like fingers stretching out and grasping the land, as well as the pou [post] reaching up to the sky. It’s simple but enables quite complex emotions to take place. Both practically and metaphorically, the design is now an integral part of the marae process. It’s not something that’s hidden away – it’s there, and the idea is boldly but very sensitively presented.”
YOUR SAY
Which of these designs is your pick of the bunch? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Browse more New Zealand home ideas
YOUR SAY
Which of these designs is your pick of the bunch? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more New Zealand home ideas
Sponsored
Winner: Residential New Home 150-300 square metres, up to $300K
Designer: Nic Curragh, Objects Ltd
Location: Springbank Downs, Canterbury
Curragh linked two gable-roofed pavilions to shelter the house from prevailing winds, inserting trapezoid window seats in the living room and bedroom to frame views of the plains.
Judges’ comments: “Nic Curragh’s design sports exceptional details that lift it well beyond the ordinary. The offset pitches of the gables, the slanted and angled window seats, the detailing of the balcony eave and ceiling lights, all contribute to a calm resolve and wonderful sense of life.”