Patchwork Architecture cleverly employs a central in-situ core on a difficult site to create two high-quality dwellings under one roof.

Jury citation

“Party Wall recognises the opportunity afforded by a difficult central site. An intelligent and restrained architectural response, the bold structural gesture grounds the project, triumphing over typography. The simply clad and expressed form shelters two similar dwellings, each offset, supported and serviced by the central in-situ concrete core. The opportunity of the site is embraced by glazing and outdoor living, maximising sun and the remarkable aspect to Kelburn and the Wellington Green Belt. Each unit is compact but generous, materials are considered, expressed with care and crafted detail. These homes provide quality, amenity and comfort, and are suitable to adapt and reinterpret at greater scale.”

Patchwork Architecture project description

Party Wall is an exploration in how to get two high-quality residences under one roof on a steep, small and unusually shaped section. The singular roof form and interconnected plan allowed for an efficiency in siting the project amid surrounding greenery.

Pulled back into the slope, the form relates to the topography and allows for a private outlook. The central insitu concrete core carves out internal access and storage for both houses, while also offering acoustic division and fire compliance.

The two-bedroom, two-storey dwellings are reasonably close to other homes, but the design provides northern verandahs that overlook the Kelburn viaduct and valley beyond, and floor-to-ceiling glazing to stream light deep into the interior.

The topography, shape of the section and easements for adjacent properties provided diverse constraints. The adjacent reserve, on which much of the stair access is located, also had protected vegetation. Car parking is provided on a reserve, snuck in between a stormwater sump on the road and a large pōhutukawa.

The exterior is clad in Colorsteel, and the interiors are rich and moody with cedar linings, painted cabinetry and the party wall’s exposed concrete.

Project team:

Ben Mitchell-Anyon, Sally Ogle.