Tag Archives: New Zealand

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: Art-Filled New Zealand Home Tour

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The Local Project (October 17, 2023) – As we venture Inside an art-filled home grounded in ideals of permanence and resilience, it is evident that Zed House signifies the prospect of rebuilding through an examination of the past and planning ahead for the future.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Art-Filled Home 00:48 – Designing A Legacy Project 01:37 – The Z-Shaped Layout of the Home 02:03 – A Nostalgic and Personal Brief 02:40 – A Walkthrough of the Home 04:38 – Building for Changes in Climate 04:57 – The Material Palette 05:32 – Incorporating Aspects from the Previous Homestead 06:12 – An Enduring Family Home

The expansive, single-storey, red-brick home references the original residence that was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, and is injected with art, nostalgia and childhood memories. Originally owned by the client’s parents, there was not much remaining of the original architecture, except for the gardens, which have been tendered to and reintegrated into the landscape.

As such, the client wanted a family home that would retain as much of the original house as possible, such as arched windows. Zed House receives its name from a distinct floor plan, which snakes around the site and forms the letter ‘Z’. Although the house is single storey, it boasts generous spaces, as seen in the house tour. Inside the art-filled home, one will find a deeply considered floor plan where a low-entrance front door contrasts with the vaulted ceiling within, which is close to four metres high, creating a sense of compression and release.

A juxtaposition between the casual arrangement of the kitchen, family and living rooms with the more formal dining and living area at the edge of the northern wing offers a dynamic balance inside an art-filled home. The sunken family room is relaxed and comfortable, whilst the other living area is more sophisticated, with green accents that echo the greenery of the natural surrounds. A gallery-like hallway with concrete walls houses the bedrooms and other smaller rooms.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

New Zealand Design: A Hidden Beach Home Tour

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The Local Project (August 18, 2023) – On the north-eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula lies Waimataruru, a dream home by Pac Studio and Kristina Pickford Design. Positioned just above the beach and embraced by a regenerating native forest,

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Dream Home on a Hidden Beach 00:25 – The Dynamic Brief 01:07 – Arrangement of the Spaces 01:43 – A Wild and Exposed Site 02:05 – Responding to the Varying Conditions 02:57 – A Walkthrough of the Home 03:48 – An Environmentally Reflective Material and Colour Palette 04:42 – Spaces to Entertain 05:00 – A Successful Collaboration 05:22 – The Architects Proud Moments

Waimataruru is the dream home of Kristina Pickford, who oversaw the interior design. The client requested that Pac Studio create a dynamic home in an environment that allowed the owner to engage with the restoration and rehabilitation of the surrounding landscape.

Additionally, the site’s typography played an important role in the arrangement of the dream home and, as such, Pac Studio arranged the architectural features to seamlessly cascade down the natural slope of the site. The house tour shows there is a unifying quality to the home to be admired. Choosing to keep the spaces within the home linked together – differentiated only by floor level – Pac Studio creates a dream home that imbues a feeling of depth thanks to clear sightlines of expansive views outside.

Though exposed to the elements, the residence is built to withstand the dryness of summer, heavy rainfall in spring and autumn and the chill of winter. Responding to the varied weather conditions, Pac Studio added a filtered edge to the northern façade as well as covered verandah-like spaces outside to protect occupants from the elements. Cosy interior design moments have also been added to provide a sense of comfort, such as rear pocket views of the forest behind. With an intentional duality, the architect has created a dream home that embraces both the northern beach and the southern forest.

As the home navigates a sloping site, Pac Studio designed each space to give its own individual experience of the landscape – through different colours and materials – to reflect the surrounding natural environment. Though timber is employed as the main element internally and externally, the additional red oxide wall takes centrestage. Lime plaster walls have also been enhanced by sand from the beach, and waxed steel provides a softness and warmth that further enriches the home’s detailing. Designed to be a dream home, Waimataruru provides the space to sit back and appreciate the surrounds.

Architecture, Design, Reviews, Travel, Videos, Views

Design: Te Pae North Piha Surf Tower, New Zealand

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ArchiPro Films (August 16, 2023) – The lifeguard tower is an essential facility that enables observation, patrolling and protection at North Piha – one of New Zealand’s most beautiful but dangerous surf beaches. The tower is to serve the club and the community providing a functional and durable building to replace the existing dated structure.

The brief was for a robust, low-maintenance building that would withstand the severe North Piha coastal environment. It needed to provide accommodation for four lifeguards with excellent visibility along the beach – a building that was functional and responded to its context.

Piha is a part of the rohe (territory) of Te Kawerau ā Maki (the indigenous Māori tribe) who gifted the name Te Pae, meaning ‘to perch’ – a place to sit, look, and observe. It was a privilege to be able to incorporate this narrative into the concept for the tower.

The form offers a softness and quiet presence in this powerful coastal location. The site is remote, and so prefabricated concrete sections were factory-made and assembled on site. This minimised dune and planting disturbance on this fragile beach. North Piha is unusual in that the sand is black. The black oxidised concrete references this and the curved form reflects the undulating dunes that the building sits amongst. The tower is modest in scale and recessive, respecting its setting. At the same time, as a beacon for visitors to the beach, it requires easy recognition, and the distinctive form sits in contrast to the beautiful, rugged backdrop. This is a piece of coastal sculpture with a nod to traditional maritime observation structures around the New Zealand coast.

The tower is sustainable, utilising operable windows for ventilation, with high levels of insulation, sun protection, thermal mass, and natural light. It provides shelter and protection for the lifeguards. The placement of the windows was carefully determined with the club to provide optimum beach surveillance and a connection back to the clubhouse.

The new tower is a vital addition to safety at North Piha. It delivers a facility that supports the extraordinary volunteers who run it and meets the needs of its community now and into the future.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: Matagouri House In New Zealand

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The Local Project (July 11, 2023) – A beautiful house grounded within an extraordinary landscape setting, Matagouri House provides an immediate visual impact without taking away from the natural beauty of the surrounding environment.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:18 – The Location of Matagouri 00:38 – The Design Process 01:23 – Defining Themes 01:56 – Inspiration Behind the Rooftop Garden 02:32 – The Client and The Brief 03:14 – The Composition of the Home 03:55 – Reflecting The Landscape 04:47 – Aspirations For The Future

Removed from the urban centre of Queenstown, New Zealand, the home sits between two natural mounds in the surrounding tussock at the foot of The Remarkables mountain range and the edge of Lake Wakatipu. Sitting upon a plateau that lies within a broader curtilage of land, interior spaces are laid out around a sheltered courtyard under an engineered timber roof plane. The main living area of the beautiful house is considered a peninsula, a singular wide space that wraps around a protected courtyard.

This courtyard has a strong sense of gravity for the overall composition of the land as it accesses the public wings of the building, including the kitchen and dining area. Bedrooms are upstairs – the elevated position and the interior design of the rooms nurture the aspect beyond the roof. As such, the powerful landscape setting is integral to the form and overall design of the beautiful house. Fearon Hay Architects draws on this in an interesting way to develop an occupation at a scale that feels comfortable for the residents.

To do this they moderate the way the house captures the view, with areas removing the view entirely – the outlook is taken away and then re-presented for its impact to be fully understood. The beautiful house remains exquisitely immersed in the landscape. For example, the engineered timber roof plane carries a planted tussock green rooftop garden and is shaped to marry into the natural landforms.

The way the home and the landscape blend into one also enables a strong sense of historic occupation. The architecture of the building isn’t read as a new structure but is instead embedded in the landscape as if it has been developed over time.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

New Zealand Home Tour: ‘Flockhill Homestead’

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The Local Project (July 7, 2023) – An exclusive house tour and a thoughtful marrying of architecture and landscape, Flockhill Homestead is a beautiful yet practical farm residence that offers a novel experience of the New Zealand landscape.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Luxurious AirBnB 00:47 – The Project Architect 01:17 – A Family and an Environmental Centred Brief 02:13 – Democratising the Bedrooms 02:40 – Protection From the Harsh Environment 03:15 – The Heritage and History of The Flockhill Region 03:32 – The Materials Used Throughout 04:47 – Utilisation Throughout the Seasons 05:18 – The Calmness of Shadow 05:53 – A Collaborative Effort

This exclusive house tour goes inside a high country sheep station that doubles as an Airbnb where Warren and Mahoney take a symbiotic approach to create an elegant refuge, where interior design harmonises with the heavy masonry elements embedded in the landscape that can also withstand the harsh conditions. The exclusive house tour shows a dwelling that responds to its incredible locale – in the way of outlooks, heritage and practicality.

Located halfway between Christchurch and Arthur’s Pass, the homestead and Airbnb is perched on a plateau above the working farm, which offers an equal viewpoint of the mountains, limestone rock formations and Lake Pearson. A pool sits on the edge of the property at the top of a cliff, allowing one to feel as if they are floating above the dramatic landscape.

The exclusive house tour reveals The fluid approach taken by the team in the architecture and interior design of the homestead. Spaces are arranged in a single linear strip to access constant views towards the lake and mountains in the distance, fostering a continuous connection between internal and external spaces. The large home is designed for four individual owners so there are shared zones, including a communal kitchen and large fireplace, and private spaces pushed to the corners of the home.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Home Tour: ‘Clifftops’ In Auckland, New Zealand

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The Local Project (July 4, 2023) – Imbued with a genuine warmth, Clifftops House is a family home that has soul and spirit. Through thoughtful consideration of materiality and texture,

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Unique Clifftop Home 00:58 – The Location 01:37 – The Site and its Aspect 02:00 – The Architecture Brief 02:39 – The Interiors Brief 03:15 – Working with the Materiality 03:41 – Crafting the Textures and the Touch 04:18 – Drawing Light Deep Into the house 05:01 – The Element of Surprise

Bossley Architects has built a visually striking and welcoming home defined by strong geometric architecture on the exterior and a soft, sinuous feel on the inside. Built on the picturesque clifftops overlooking Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, the home is comfortable yet capable of accommodating a growing family.

The site posed two main challenges – exposure to the elements of the nearby ocean and a long, narrow allotment. The house takes advantage of this shape with a series of walls and fins built angled towards the sea. Walls located at the east and west ends of the site also create a partially enclosed courtyard that both welcomes sun and provides shelter from the weather.

A modest palette features in-situ concrete as the main material, which is durable and allows the concrete to resemble fluid, free forms, resulting in a number of sculptural walls and curves in the interior of the home. This is offset against panels of marble cladding, glass-reinforced concrete fascias, walnut flooring, cedar ceilings and aluminium joinery. There are also a number of windows and openings built into the architecture of the home, which serve an important role in scoping and drawing light deep inside.

Additionally, a ‘slow stair’ has been incorporated to provide a sense of circulation into the linear structure. The staircase has a very long tread, so as one moves from the ground floor to the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs they experience vertical movement in a more rounded way. The home holds most of its spirit in the interior design. Sonya Cotter Design crafted an interior experience that layers furniture and finishes in a way that works to create personality and warmth. However, most of the selections, whilst varied, all are designed to patina, invoking a constant sense of movement across surfaces throughout the home.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: New Zealand & Saudi Arabia Leaders Visit China, Russia ‘Mutiny’ Fallout

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The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, June 27, 2023: New Zealand’s prime minister, Chris Hipkins, visits China for trade talks as Saudi Arabia sends a top delegation to an economic forum in Tianjin.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HC2Wd7kGECUQdeBdXt96R

Kiwi journalist Lisette Reymer and China analyst Isabel Hilton discuss what’s on the agenda and why Beijing is turning its attentions to the Middle East. Plus: the latest claims from Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Progizhin and Guatemalans go to the polls in an election mired by democratic backsliding.

Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture Tour: Shift House In New Zealand

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The Local Project (May 28, 2023) – Retaining its heritage, Shift House is an architects family home that sees MAUD elegantly and subtly use the original structure’s form and character as the foundation for renovations.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Family Home 00:45 – A Special Character Location 01:29 – The Ability to Experiment 02:00 – A Shift from Old to New 02:43 – The Material Palette 03:10 – A Focus on the Kitchen 03:39 – The Performance and Aesthetics of Good Design 03:53 – Linking the Outdoors with the Indoors 04:20 – Favourite Aspects of the Home 04:55 – Changing the Way of Living and Operating

Located on a tree-lined street, the architects family home is surrounded by the special character Freemans Bay. Due to this location, the architects renovations came with constraints that pertained to the form and development of the home. However, thanks to the structure’s position upon a ridge, MAUD was afforded the opportunity to build a two-storey addition that is concealed from the street front and does not cross any of the limitations.

Afforded the opportunity to experiment on their own home, the architect was able to try out methods of interior design that they otherwise would not. As such, the renovations to the architects family home included an addition of modern lower levels that connect to the rear gardens, while an upstairs room that affords an outlook beyond the site has been added. Seen throughout the architects family home there is an intentional use of colour to signal the change in eras.

First experienced within the original parts of the home, a muted palette has been used to bring life and character to the space, while in the newer additions there is a shift upon the emphasis of materiality and texture to match the modern years. Using recycled materials to link the new additions to the original home, MAUD shifts and moves the formal shapes of the original zones into the relaxed new additions. In the bathrooms, the use of saturated colours provides an immersive experience, showcasing the ritualistic approaches to bathing.

#Auckland, #NewZealand. #hometours #TheLocalProject

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Videos, Views

Architecture: Hepburn’s Road House, New Zealand

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The Local Project (March 31, 2023) – Bordered by the Southern Alps on one side and the sea on the other, Hepburn’s Road House by Warren and Mahoney and Detail by Davinia Sutton is a country home that responds to the New Zealand landscape.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Ultimate Country Home 01:08 – A Symmetrical Home 01:27 – Using Durable Materials 01:52 – An Anecdote to a Town House 02:11 – The transition Between Inside and Outside 02:29 – The Theme of Longevity 02:55 – An Honest and Tailored Approach to Detailing 04:01 – Meeting the Needs of Entertaining 04:18 – Proud Moments 04:35 – Favourite Aspects of the Home 04:45 – Elegant Spaces of Good Proportions

Using a range of trees, orchards, a tennis court and walls, the architects slowly reveal the country home, creating an air of suspense as nothing is immediately available upon arrival. With its symmetrical layout, the home begins with a long gallery at the front entrance with bedrooms on either side and a large living space that is placed behind. To deal with a tough site and the New Zealand climate, Warren and Mahoney employed materials that directly respond to these challenges while also providing durability. Such materials used include concrete, timber weatherboard, profiled metal roof and cladding, timber shutters and flooring, and stone.

Designed to be an antidote to the townhouse, the employed materials of the country home also respond to the difference between the types of homes and, in turn, the difference between city and country living. As such, the approach towards relaxation, level of formality and materials used allows the country home to become a place that the owners can find shelter and freedom. Used to break down the transition between inside and outside, moving timber shutters are placed over the operable glass doors and walls to help create versatile uses for the spaces.

Additionally, the themes of longevity, proportions, symmetry, and the juxtaposition between the interiors and the exterior façade, helped to lead the design choices by Detail by Davinia Sutton. Embracing New Zealand design throughout the build, with an honest and tailored approach, the interior designer offers a sincere tactic delivered with a contained palette. Seen through the bedrooms, the calming palette is a union of travertine stone alongside honed and soft finishes that add a wholeness to the private spaces. Addressing the needs and requirements of the home’s landscape, the interior design incorporates elements that answer these needs directly.

Experienced within the laundry, the room has been turned into a mud room that allows the owners to freshen up before entering the home. Furthermore, extra storage has been introduced with appliances such as a wine fridge and cool and dry fridges, which offer a prolonged ability to store produce. Finished with Fisher & Paykel appliances, the country home integrates a refined ease of living for the owners and responds to their love for entertaining. Deepening the connection and celebration of landscape and entertainment, Warren and Mahoney’s work seamlessly unites with Detail by Davinia Sutton’s interior design so that the owners can easily transition from inside to outside living.

Travel, Videos, Views

Cinematic Travel: A Tour Of ‘Mythical New Zealand’

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Digital Travel Videos (March 12, 2023) – New Zealand, Māori Aotearoa, island country in the South Pacific Ocean, the southwesternmost part of Polynesia. New Zealand is a remote land—one of the last sizable territories suitable for habitation to be populated and settled—and lies more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Australia, its nearest neighbour. The country comprises two main islands—the North and the South Island—and a number of small islands, some of them hundreds of miles from the main group. The capital city is Wellington and the largest urban area Auckland; both are located on the North Island. New Zealand administers the South Pacific island group of Tokelau and claims a section of the Antarctic  continent.  Niue and the  Cook Islands are self-governing states in free association with New Zealand.