Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Home New Zealand

About halfway through the judging for Home of the Year 2017, an architect asked me how we could possibly decide between the various different projects we had visited. They’re all so wildly different, he said: how do you judge one over the other? My answer: with great difficulty. In mid-February, three of us set off around the country: me, the internationally acclaimed architect Todd Saunders (of Fogo Island fame) and Richard Naish of RTA Studio, whose own house in Auckland won Home of the Year in 2015. We visited 15 houses in five days, from the north of the country to the south, and the criteria became obvious: clarity of concept and quality of execution. What did they set out to achieve and how close did they come to achieving…

Situated in the Seto Inland Sea of Southern Japan, Naoshima and its sibling islands have become firmly ingrained in contemporary art and architecture, thanks to the vision of reclusive Japanese billionaire Soichiro Fukutake. A resident of New Zealand since 2009, Fukutake is the former director of Benesse Corporation, an education and publishing business known for its patronage of the arts. Over the past 25 years, Fukutake has united some of the world’s leading architects and the work of artists past and present to transform the tiny Japanese islands from dying industrial wastelands and dumping grounds into cultural meccas of contemporary design. Names range from Ryue Nishizawa to Tadao Ando, Claude Monet to Jackson Pollock, Yayoi Kusama to Walter De Maria, as well as James Turrell, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andy Warhol and…

“Do you know if we could build a house in the corner by the carpark?” he wrote. “I know it’s a bit stupid but I like what they do in Japan with sites like this and it’d be a handy place to live.” “Architects thrive on constraints, whether they are a tight budget, a difficult site or a complex programme; combine this with a brave, creative client and an interesting outcome is certain.” Walking through the township of Cambridge in the heart of provincial Waikato, a building appears that strays far from the norm. It sits surrounded by a supermarket, a carpark and a mishmash of shops on an oddly shaped 315-square-metre section alongside service lanes and a commercial building. The home of Grant and Karen Jack, an artist…

This house was a conscious effort to build less – single garage, two bathrooms, no guest room. Has it worked? While this may be the smallest house we’ve built, it’s also the most rewarding. The courtyard plan creates a clarity of purpose and a feeling of generosity that belies the house’s size. You’ve been playing with the courtyard form in a few houses. Why does it appeal? On tight urban sites with little outlook, it provides an opportunity to look at yourself rather than your neighbour. For expansive sites in a more open context, the courtyard plan provides opportunity for shelter and focus. You’ve become more fond of walls during your career but not carpet. Walls have always had an important place, especially when they intensify the contrast between openness…

“The site was covered in trees... we could see it would be tricky, but it had potential – a northerly aspect, good views across the valley, and existing native trees.”  It takes a village to raise a child, and an even bigger village to raise a house up on a steep hill. When three Wellington friends set themselves the task of designing and building a hilltop home, they were acting not only as their own clients, but as architects, structural engineers, project managers and lead contractors. Then, once the builders had created the shell of the structure, they called on a community of friends to help realise the final result. No small task, and one that would test skills as well as relationships, but Patchwork founders…

What are your thoughts on the tender process to secure an architect? It’s similar to an advertising pitch. Your approach to a project changes when you have a competitor, it’s more about selling a tactic than a finished proposal and making assumptions about the intentions of your competitor. I think, in the end, we produced a design that showed how the clients could inhabit and frame the site. How did your design respond to Mike’s hobby for cooking? This part of the brief sent us in an interesting direction as we took the idea and attempted to push it as far as we could. We designed a garden wall armature that extended from the kitchen out into the landscape, loosely ordering all of the components of food production in a…

This is what it takes to judge home of the year: you drive from Auckland to Coromandel, and then on to Cambridge, before flying to Christchurch. You fly to Wellington for a day and a night, and then on to Auckland and Matakana, before heading back down to Queenstown for the night, where you decide on a winner over drinks at Sherwood Queenstown. This year’s judging panel included me, international guest judge Todd Saunders and architect Richard Naish (whose own house in Grey Lynn won Home of the Year 2015). Over one week in February, we toured 15 projects from Mangawhai to Arthurs Point – a record number of homes, from a record number of entries. Along the way, and in association with Altherm Window Systems, Saunders spoke to an…

Former editor Claire McCall is now a freelance writer and editor who still contributes to this magazine. She toured the country with judges Simon Carnachan and Sydney-based Ian Moore. The finalists included a house in the sand dunes at Peka Peka, north of Wellington, by Architecture Workshop’s Chris Kelly. The owners had lived on the site in a shipping container for a few years, and wanted to keep that elemental connection to the dune environment, so the house featured two pods on an upstairs deck – one for living, and one for a bedroom. “Sarah and John, the original owners, felt the simplicity of container living was more nuanced in the house design,” says Kelly now, “though it still had that direct environmental connection – especially crossing to the pod…

Amelia Holmes A regular contributor to HOME, the stylist is about to open her own design store in Auckland. What did you love about the winning home? I love the façade of the building and all the interior spaces work so well. It's a very progressive building for Cambridge. The owners were such an amazing couple and had a real imagination to look at a site and location like that and see the potential. They obviously had a lot of trust in Chris who did an amazing job on this interesting site. What drives the creative process for your styled shoots? I love doing the styled shoots as it means a break from working on long-lead projects and working on something much more loosely creative with a quick turnaround. It's…

Established by Simon James and Scott Bridgens in 2011, Resident will launch its seventh collection in April at the annual Salone del Mobile furniture fair. At Euroluce – the international lighting exhibition that’s part of the fair, Resident is announcing the release of ‘Circus’ light (right), a remarkable system of interconnected rings that can be arranged in sequence to create a striking vertical drop. Each brass ring projects a warm and elegantly diffused LED lightsource that spreads outwards to a 360-degree plane. The revolutionary plug-and-play system allows for power sharing between rings and a large range of variations to suit spaces of different shapes and sizes. ‘Circus’ is a theatrical system designed for both commercial and residential environments. It’s available in two sizes – 500mm and 750mm diameter, which can…

Historical art movements from the late 19th and 20th centuries come together in The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate. “This is a one-off opportunity in New Zealand to see key works by European and American artists,” says principal curator, Zara Stanhope. The exhibition includes pieces by Auguste Rodin – ‘The Kiss’ (1901) being the star of the show – Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Louise Bourgeois, among many others. Encompassing symbolism, romanticism, modern art and surrealism, the exhibition also includes a small number of works from the gallery’s own collection, as well as additional information researched by the curators. Does Stanhope have a favourite? “It’s difficult to single out one,” she says. “‘The Kiss’ is the star of course, and paintings by Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico are…

New additions to Swiss-made hardwood-style laminate boards have recently been added to the Carpet Court portfolio of flooring solutions. Eight contemporary tones carry through from light honeyed hues to warm, dark tones in the Swiss Giant range. Made by Krono Swiss, the product has superior abrasion-resistant properties, making it highly scratch and impact resistant. It has also been developed to be colour-fast, which will prevent fading under New Zealand’s harsh sunlight. The low-maintenance product doesn’t require waxing, polishing or sanding, and retains its as-new looks for years. The product range comes with a residential warranty of 25 years. Having undergone rigorous tests, the boards are resistant to furniture damage and general household stains, making them an affordable, hygienic and easy-to-clean flooring option. The premium flooring comes in eight distinguished planks…

Was your creativity stifled by the budget at all? The restricted budget actually necessitated creativity. We knew what we wanted to achieve aesthetically and spatially, but that it had to be cost-effective – which many times necessitated using off-the-shelf items in creative ways. Countertops, for example, are silicone-joined marble tiles rather than a solid slab – at around one eighth the cost. Architects thrive on constraints, whether they are a tight budget, a difficult site or a complex programme. Combine this with a brave, creative client and an interesting outcome is certain. The home runs right to the property’s boundary. How did you manage to create a feeling of openness and space? The courtyards are essential. The interior spaces open onto them through strategically placed glazed doors – many of…

“David left me to come up with the conceptual framework and then got involved at a more material, detailed level. We appreciate a similar aesthetic, which is about simplicity and beauty and honesty.” As Auckland expands, the small towns within commuting distance are being developed into suburban satellites, and once-rural communities are gradually merging with urban centres. But some pockets are changing faster than others and, for whatever reason, the State Highway One turn-off to Mahurangi West is usually passed by the traffic heading further north. It’s here that architect Belinda George and her husband David White, a furniture maker, have designed and built a modern home inspired by traditional rural forms. “It’s a secret!” White says with a smile when I get there. “Don’t tell anyone. Everyone’s still…

Did being your own client give you more flexibility in design? SALLY OGLE A bit. The design was fairly well resourced and materials were nailed down before we started (which it has to be for the consenting process). Ben and I project managed the build, which allowed us some freedom to not fully document things like the kitchen cabinetry in advance. The pond is one of the few things we changed during the build. It was going to be a small garden but we realised we could easily turn it into a pond. What were the design constraints? BEN MITCHELL-ANYON The site has a lot of constraints – it’s quite steep and there were a lot of trees we wanted to keep. It can be particularly difficult if you have…

1996 Patrick Clifford and the Architectus team designed his Auckland home 1997 Twin townhouses in Grey Lynn, Auckland, by Felicity Wallace 1998 A Bay of Islands holiday retreat by Pete Bossley of Bossley Architects 1999 Gerrad Hall designed his own home in Ponsonby, Auckland 2000 A Northland house by Jeff Fearon and Tim Hay of Fearon Hay Architects 2001 Gerald Parsonson of Parsonson Architects’ own Kapiti Coast retreat 2002 A Remuera, Auckland, home by Stevens Lawson Architects 2003 Ken Crosson of Crosson Clarke Carnachan’s Coromandel holiday home 2004 A Bay of Islands holiday retreat by Pete Bossley of Bossley Architects 2005 A house in the King Country by Mitchell and Stout Architects 2006 A Wellington house by Hugh Tennent of Tennent and Brown Architects 2007 An Auckland family home by Stevens…

Former editor Jeremy Hansen, who launched and now edits Paperboy, judged the 2007 award with Julie Stout and Mark Dytham. The finalists included the Tindale bach on Great Barrier Island, by Lance and Nicola Herbst – part of a collection of projects on the remote island in which the South African-born architects showed New Zealanders how they could live at the beach. “The culture of beach houses in South Africa had got to the point where they had become replicas of city houses, but on the coast, so we were very taken with the humility of the structures that we found in the most exquisite landscapes,” says Lance Herbst now. “What we set out to do was make structures that not just deprived one of modern conveniences, but romanced the notion of doing so.” What…

“When I first saw this building I didn’t like it, but that was partly connected with the fact that I didn’t know what I was doing. As I’ve grown as an architect, I’ve grown to like the building and I think that’s because the gable form is the most relevant and most interesting roof line we have in New Zealand – you’ve got the church, the tramping hut, the wharenui and the shearing shed. They’re distinctly local and that’s something I’ve always been interested in. The folded form is incredibly powerful and a little ambiguous. The triple peak – the main peak over the nave and the secondary peaks, which articulate the aisles – is a reference to traditional cathedrals, but it also looks like a draped cloak. But unlike…

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Auckland Coffee roaster Eighthirty has established a bit of a reputation in recent years for crisp, beautifully realised cafes designed by Dominic Glamuzina of Glamuzina Architects, and its new roastery is a fine addition. Eighthirty has made a point of inhabiting spaces in areas that had somehow been forgotten – rejuvenating patches of the city as a result. “It started with me making Dom coffee in the mornings when he moved back from London,” says owner Glenn Bell. “He’d seen a photo of our space on K Road and decided it was going to be his new coffee joint when he got back.” A former barista, Glamuzina (with Aaron Paterson) first designed a mini roastery in Ponsonby Central for the roaster in 2010, followed by a minimalist high-ceilinged cafe on…

The future is artificial – or at least Danil Nagy thinks so. The New York-based designer and researcher works for The Living, a design firm inside the research department of Autodesk, a global software company, as well as lecturing at Columbia University. From here, he’s developed a variety of projects that show the benefits of artificial intelligence technologies and their applications to design and urban analysis. He tours the country in May as part of Paradigm Shift, a multi-city talkfest pitched at designers and architects – not to mention the public. Tell us a bit about the Hy-Fi project – it was made with compostable bricks? They were grown out of agricultural waste, mostly corn stalks and mycelium, which is the root structure of mushrooms. Our project was the first…

WINNER Urban life outside the city: Chris Beer finds poetry on a commercial site in Cambridge. RUNNER-UP Guy Tarrant creates a suburban oasis on a busy road in Point Chevalier, Auckland. BEST RETREAT Belinda George’s alt-country house in Mahurangi is at once historic and contemporary. FINALIST The home and studio of Patchwork Architecture lands on a steep Wellington site. FINALIST Glamuzina Paterson walk the line between city and country in a Matakana field. BEST SMALL HOME Patchwork Architecture show quality of living has nothing to do with square metres. Brought to you in association with…

“The thing about the clerestory is that you can have a bit more wall but you get the light as well. You don’t want a house that’s all glass.” At its highest point, the roof rises up to 4.6 metres, and the clerestory continues in an unbroken line. It runs the length of the wall, the roof supported on slender steel poles. During the construction of Guy Tarrant and Debra Millar’s house in Point Chevalier, Auckland, neighbours ran bets on what the building was actually going to be. On a wedge between a quiet side street and the very busy Point Chevalier Road, Tarrant’s design follows the shape of the site, forming an elegant Nike tick around a beautiful brick corner, topped with clerestory windows. As the house…

How was designing your own home different from designing for clients? It’s so personal. When working for other people, I endeavour to get some of their personality into my buildings. You’re always thinking about what they’re going to respond to; what’s going to make their soul sing in this house? What are they going to look at when they wake up and go ‘yes’. You know that thing in yourself, so it’s easier. As a piece of architecture, this house possibly stands apart slightly because it’s my own and David’s; a collaboration between the two of us. Are there aspects of the design that you’d repeat for clients, or is it too personal to apply elsewhere? There are aspects of planning that really work for family life that I would carry…

“The exterior cladding and its language had us thinking about how to connect these conditions back into the interior. The intention was to also consider qualities of light and the casting of long shadows...” With clerestories, dormers, picture windows and exterior battening, the interplay of light and shadow constantly changes. Walking dull conversation across the threshold of a home is considered a social no-no in some circles. But entering a house that freely offers up visual dialogue cues may get the less verbally adroit visitors off the hook. A flat rural field minutes from Matakana village and the mega mansions of Omaha, the site proposed a different approach to the weekender or bach typical of the area. Feeling confined by the tightness of inner-city living in Auckland, Jen…

The modest footprint shows a unique approach by the owners, a couple with two young children. Is this becoming more common? SALLY OGLE I think it will as more infill housing is built, utilising smaller sites within our cities. It’s also part of an evolution of how New Zealanders think about their houses – bigger isn’t necessarily better – smart design means smaller spaces can be highly functional. What were the most challenging aspects of designing the home? BEN MITCHELL-ANYON Juggling all the spaces required, while retaining a large outside area on such a small section, was pretty tricky. As was staying within regulations without too much compromise in terms of form. What do you think is most successful about the home? BMA I’m really happy with the downstairs courtyard,…

Now the publishing director of Penguin Random House, Debra Millar was responsible for the first Home of the Year in 1996. She judged the 1997 award with architects Lindley Naismith and Hillary Sewell. The runner-up was a house at Te Horo, north of Wellington, by architect Patrick Clifford for his brother. Clifford, along with his Architectus colleagues Malcolm Bowes and Mike Thompson, had won the inaugural Home of the Year for his own house in Remuera, Auckland, the year before. “They are very different houses,” says Clifford now, “but of course they do share a commonality of approach. Clear ideas, simple but dense plans and forms, material relationships that are mutually enriching and the utilisation of structure and construction to create depth and longevity.” That solid-earth wall anchors the house…

Altherm Window Systems has been a long-time supporter of Home of the Year, New Zealand’s most prestigious prize for residential architecture. The annual awards are much anticipated by both architects and readers, and they serve as an important place in which to review and discuss the state of New Zealand architecture. In the Home of the Year entries, we see the best projects that this country’s architects have to offer. The homes selected are universally beautiful, of course, but they also challenge the status quo and ask questions about what buildings should do and be. Looking back over 22 years of the award, one thing becomes clear: good architecture doesn’t follow trends but responds to the much more universal challenges of site, context and client and, in this way, Home…

HOME’s signature event returns to Auckland for 2017: led by HOME editor Simon Farrell-Green, we’ll visit five of the most experienced heads in the design business to hear what’s exciting them most about the year ahead, and catch up on the latest from the Milan Furniture Fair. The day starts at 9am, finishes around 5pm and includes a restaurant lunch, and a well-deserved glass of wine at the end of the day. Tickets are limited to 50 people, so be sure to buy yours early to avoid missing out. (If you’re in Christchurch, keep an eye out for your event later in the year.) For tickets, please visit eventopia.co/stylesafari2017. Tickets cost $90 and include transport for the day and lunch. For further information, please contact: homenewzealand@bauermedia.co.nz Mike Thorburn ECC The irrepressible Mike…