Menu

Feature Articles

Pushing the boundaries

Faced with a steep, tight site in central Auckland, designer Hamish Stirrat knew he would have to literally push the boundaries to achieve his design brief for a four-bedroom family home.

As Hamish, of Fabricate Architecture, says, “It was clear from the outset that the project was going...

Meet the locals

Meet the Locals He Tuku Aroha precinct, Wellington Zoo
As part of its redevelopment and rejuvenation, Wellington Zoo has created a precinct that it describes as “a love story to New Zealand”.
Meet the Locals He Tuku Aroha occupies 7000sq m – more than a fifth of the zoo’s footprint –...

Green Building

NZ Green Building Council updates the Steel Credit in Green Star NZ to something achievable.

If you build upmarket offices, commercial buildings or schools this should mean something to you. If it does read on to discover how we have finally made the steel credit applicable to NZ made...

Hamilton Heliport

 

When HeliCorp owner Brent Glover decided he wanted to take his business to the next level, new premises had to be part of the equation.

For about 15 years, HeliCorp had been providing a wide range of helicopter flight services including scenic charter flights, corporate aviation...

Proposed NZMRM Systems Guarantee update

Strategic Background

Recent and signalled changes in Law, around Builder liability, Council liability and Risk based consenting, have created a legal environment that is conducive to the development of an extended range of builder guarantees.

On the back of its...

Building in the Bush


Building a home takes huge amounts of optimism and fortitude, especially when you are working parents with two pre-schoolers to look after while overseeing and helping with the construction of a bespoke home.

That was the task facing Michele Powles and husband James after they sold...

Cascade House

This new 309 square meter cascading house is perched on a cliff, on the southern border of the of Seagrove Conservation Estate, in the Wellington suburb of Newlands. The site offers amazing, panoramic views of Wellington harbour and is less than couple of hundred meters from the shoreline....

Today's Metal Tiles are not "Decramastic"

 

For the older generation“decramastic tiles*” means a scallop-shaped metal tile roof coated with stone chip. The issues that were often attributed to the product have, by some, continued to be associated with the new generation of acrylic, stone chip, metal tiles manufactured today....

Big Sky Farm

Employing Kiwi ingenuity is second nature to farmers so it’s no surprise that a Ngatea couple were willing to think outside the square when it came to the design and build of their new home.
Delwyn and Campbell Clayton-Greene wanted a striking design for the family home on their Hauraki...

Belonging To The Land

After a high-profile career including 20-plus years managing companies in various Asian countries, all Kevin Ramsey wanted to do when he returned home was build and live somewhere that was “authenticallyNew Zealand.”

He’d bought land near Queenstown that supported grapevines, and...

Efs Office, New Plymouth

Accountancy is often stereotyped as a dull, colourless profession but EFS Accounting has broken the mould with its vibrant new building in New Plymouth.

The two-storey building designed by Saunders Architects has a colourful façade clad in aluminium in bright green, orange, tan and silver...

Murphy Residence

With their family maturing, architectural designers Lynda and Paul Murphy decided it was time to move closer to town so their children could have more independence.

They chose to build in the new area of Millwater, situated between Orewa and Silverdale, north of Auckland, and relished the...

The Terraces On Parkway Seaview Millwater

When Horncastle Homes decided to build medium density homes at Millwater, it was determined to set a high standard

The 145-190sq m two-level homes have a boatshed look referencing the views over the Orewa river from the Seaview community in Millwater.

As Horncastle architect Tim...

Tane Cox Of Red Architecture Winner Of The ADNZ Supreme Award

The judging panel for the 2014 ADNZ | Resene Architectural Design Awards included Dr Andrew Barrie, professor of design at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning, Dr Duncan Joiner, chief architect at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Graham Sawall...

Ohakea Air Movements Terminal

As part of a $130 million upgrade, Ohakea air base has a new Air Movements Terminal

that will allow the New Zealand Defence force to deploy personnel more efficiently

and respond more rapidly to emergencies.

As part of Project Takitini to modernise Base Ohakea, $12.6 million...

A New True Oak Roof For Herne Bay Villa

When the owners of a classic Herne Bay villa needed it re-roofed, they wanted a material in keeping with the historic nature of their home.

Corrugated iron was the logical, cost-effective choice that would complement the two-storey weatherboard home’s other period features such as ornate...

Brae Barn, Glenbrook

When Alison and Alan bought their 1ha Glenbrook property, they envisaged building a home in sympathy with the area’s rural character.

“We didn’t want a starkly modern house because it just wouldn’t fit in,” says Alison.

“Some of the neighbouring properties are made of corrugate or...

Colorsteel® Bounce® Specified For Cambridge’S Avantidrome

Ten years ago white roofs were hailed as the built environment’s simple answer to global warming. White bounces a large percentage of the sun’s rays away from the roofs of houses and commercial buildings, keeping them cooler in summer and therefore using less energy to maintain a comfortable...

Lake Hayes


By Graham Hepburn

As Noel, of Noel Strez Architects, says, “To the forefront of our clients’ brief on this stunning site was the ability for ease of access around and within the house. With a history of mobility issues primarily as a result of sporting injuries and subsequent...

Positively Mainstream

It’s less than a year since Mainstream added 3 Kiwi Street in Otahuhu to its national network. It was an advance in environmentally sustainable transportation infra-structure, a hub that integrates road and rail freight and provides an interchange between the two, as well as long-term on site...

A Bach Not A Beach House

Creating a relaxed environment for beachside holidays was the prime motivation for the owners of this Whangamata home. But they also wanted something that was architecturally interesting and displayed the materials and structure of the building. 

As Glenn Bodger, of Strata Architects,...

Innovation

Royal Wolf offices. A new benchmark in container design and construction

It’s fitting a company specialising in shipping containers has an office made out of the product it knows best. 

And when Royal Wolf, Australasia’s biggest provider of shipping containers, was looking to build...

Accent On Outdoor Living

Pataua Development in Whangarei, located on a large rural site. The clients, who are based overseas, requested that we create a master plan for a large rural site in the Pataua Development, Whangarei. A vision that could be brought to life in stages. The site consists of two key developments. At...

Diana Blake Design Whangamata

 

 

Designed for the hardest clients in the world.......My family & I!

Situated on an acre of picturesque avocado orchard just on the outskirts of Whangamata with views back over the tranquil harbour to Whangamata township beyond it needed to be a strong...

Pages