Alteration and addition | Architecture Now

Houses Revisited: Orthopaedic surgery

Projects | From the archives: On a fine old Auckland street, Robin O’Donnell has extended the life of a time-worn Arts and Crafts house with ‘good bones’.

Dark and stormy: Three Stories North

Projects | Embracing the character of its 1890s shell, this family home features an unusual combination of materials that is at once dark, moody and surprisingly warm.

Bold and rhythmic: CLT House

Projects | Merging tectonics, landscape and family life, this addition to a 1970s family home celebrates the poetry and pragmatism of cross-laminated timber.

Suburban escape: Cooks River House

Projects | Immersed in a tumbling hillside garden, this reworking of a classic bungalow eschews suburban tropes in favour of spaces that foster connection with the landscape.

An Auckland oasis: Parnell renovation

Projects | With space an increasingly rare commodity in central Auckland, this renovation has created an oasis that is sheltered behind natural exteriors and the strategic use of landscaping.

A place of whakapapa

Houses | In Toto Whare, Bull O’Sullivan Architecture has created a home where generations come together to connect and bond. Jeremy Smith is captivated by its energy and generosity of spirit.

A ‘one-in-100-year renovation’: Concrete Blonde

Projects | Tucked behind an existing heritage home on a tight block with a south-facing yard, this generous addition offers light-filled, textured spaces with a natural, earthy palette.

Simple yet sculptural: Marine

Projects | This rear addition to a heritage cottage on a raised corner block sits in harmony with the existing structure and enhances its cherished “ramshackle” nature.

‘A mini urban landscape’: Cantala Avenue House

Projects | A nuanced understanding of the context’s colourful heritage, as well as its local quirks and character, is embedded in this neighbourly family home.

French connection: Glassbook House

Projects | Taking cues from Maison de Verre – the “house of glass” – in Paris, the new addition to this home hosts a suite of tranquil living and reading spaces.

Layering spaces, light and modernity

Projects | By taking a fresh approach in this Remuera bungalow, Respond Architects has created a home full of light, effortless flow and space for its owners.

Sun catcher: Empire House

Projects | Two subtle yet sophisticated pavilions honour the interwar character of this home while connecting it with the outdoors.

Behind the scenes: Remuera renovation

Projects | Go beyond the everyday face of this Remuera home, originally built in the 1940s, to discover an unexpected touch of star power.

Poured pleats

Projects | Jack McKinney Architects has transformed a Ponsonby streetscape with a dramatic gesture that is equal parts theatre and sculpture.

Lessons in scale, proportion and materiality: Albert Villa

Projects | This addition to a historic weatherboard cottage captures vistas from new living spaces arranged around a landscaped courtyard.

Mirror mirror: Kangaroo Valley Outhouse

Projects | A reimagining of the traditional outdoor bathroom, this shimmering cube in the landscape offers 360-degree views and quiet sanctuary.

Hospitality at home: Millswood House

Projects | Distinctive for the “cat’s ears” roof profile, this addition to a double-fronted cottage is the result of a three-year labour of love.

Garden room: Mount Stuart Greenhouse

Projects | This addition to a grand early-20th-century home reads as a generous garden room that captures the scale and movement of the nearby cypress tree.

Surprising grandeur: Fitzroy Terrace

Projects | New shifts in volume and dramatic apertures to the sky in this Victorian terrace house create the illusion of impossibly spacious proportions.

Hint of oak: Victorian alteration

Projects | A heritage Victorian house with a mature oak tree at its heart receives an alteration that injects plenty of joy and vibrancy.