Green Building Services

“I have worked with John on an extensive home renovation. He is a great architect to work with and I am pleased to being doing another project with him. He has a wonderful collaborative and inclusive approach, which means the clients and professionals working on the project all feel valued.”

“I have never seen anyone get more excited about a new building than the people of Redcliffs. I could barely get any work done! The story starts, as so many others in Christchurch, with earthquakes and demolition. The team at Young Architects has close ties to the neighbourhood, and was involved in the rebuild of the community library from the very beginning. They took up the challenge of designing an inviting public meeting space that reflects its community. From the red colour of the building to the gable construction reminiscent of the spines on a bookshelf, the library is a space Redcliffs is very proud of, as I soon learned. Since I happen to live down the road, I did more than my usual share of bullying the client into involving me. I knew the semi-translucent gable would be perfect for blue hour photography once finished. I got really excited picturing the final images in my mind's eye. When Greg Young and I finally toured the library, the degree of pride in the community was almost overwhelming. People stopped us repeatedly in the streets to tell their library stories, express how proud they are, and what a good guy Greg is. There were even a few hugs. While I was shooting the building a little while later, people repeatedly told me how happy they were with their new library. It was touching to see how connected everyone felt with this space. I hope the images will do the project justice.”

“We had designed our first new home ourselves, but second time around it wasn’t so easy. We had a basic concept in mind, but couldn’t bring it all together and “make it fit”. We chose Mike for two reasons, firstly he’d been recommended by a friend to check him out and we loved the look of his previous designs, and secondly because he’d completed a builder’s apprenticeship. It was important to us that our architect also had practical building knowledge. Mike came back to us with a design that incorporated all the things that we had asked for, but also added some quirky features and design elements that we would never have come up with on our own. He visited us on site, and was always respectful of our preferences and worked hard to pull the whole design together. We would definitely recommend him to others who are looking for a professional, considerate, and innovative architect.”

“We absolutely love what Sophie came up with for us. She carefully listened to our varied and complex requirements and provided us with a range of solutions to consider - we ended up with something we are so happy with. We felt she really took the time to hear our thoughts, and provided such a wealth of knowledge to guide us. We're so excited for our new house!”

“Kate's used her professional's knowledge and experience in renovating small spaces to create a kitchen plan that makes the best use of space, is functional and looks great. The Concept design plan was innovative, beautiful and created elements that I hadn't previously considered. I'm looking forward to working with Kate to compete the renovation.”

“Richard designed a wonderful, stylish ,home for us. We trusted him implicitly and he delivered !!. Not only is he talented, but he is an excellent communicator and helped us with our choices down to the finest detail. Building a house is stressful, but Richard was always there to reassure us . Thanks for a wonderful process. Carole and Neil Wright Hora Hora Road Waikato”

“Jessop Architects designed a unique passive home allowing for maximum heat retention through thoughtful design and specification of materials, excellent ventillation and clever orientation to sun angles. The position of house is in a low lying bush area that was both beautiful in its native bush setting, yet predisposed to shade and damp. So taking advantage of sun was essential. The landscape design maximised the architectural passive design by thinning existing trees , reducing bulk and canopy to allow more filtered light to fall on living areas. This increased light to the home and to lower understory planting so that a greater variety of low growing species could be planted close to the deck areas. The planting was all eco sourced natives which would naturally grow in the area yet an artistic element was introduced with mass planting to create a more dramatic landscape result. The house was originally built for Tim Grocer othe New Zealand Trade Minister who was very supportive of the creation of a sustainable landscape to combine with the passive home, incorporating mini wetlands and the introduction of some rare native plants to reinforce his committment to the local environment. To that end, bird attracting plant species were specified, which brought in Tui , Wood Pidgeon and a variety of smaller birds foraging right up the the extensive deck areas. The decks designed by Jessop wrap thoughtfully around the northwest with a heated area and a feeling of accessibility to the bush environment. It was great to combine talents with Jessop Architects and be involved in a successful and unique building project.”

“We enjoyed working with Duncan from Solarei. He actually listened to what we wanted for our project and he came up with detailed plans that met our needs and reflected the coastal environment in which we live. He managed the project through the complex regulations of our local government body and obtained all necessary consents and approvals. If future developments require any architectural input, they will be referred without hesitation to Solarei. Wade and Sue Rowsell, Kerikeri, New Zealand”