Small house encapsulates big thinking
Designed and built by Box Living this house in the Wellington suburb of Belmont was a winner in the recent NZIA Wellington region awards.
At 116 square metres, the house may be considered small but it’s big on living, offering the indoor-outdoor flow indicative of the contemporary lifestyle.
Hot on the heels of celebrating the completion of their 100th house design, the team at boutique design-and-build practice, Box Living, has more good news to bring out the bubbly for.
A recently completed house in the Wellington suburb of Belmont has been recognised in the Small Project Architecture category of the 2013 Wellington Architecture Awards.
Although the dwelling has a footprint of only 115 square metres, with 60 square metres of garage/storage underneath, its compact size is big on design ideas, with the awards jury commenting that the house: “provides evidence that cost effectiveness need not be predicated on the mundane.”
Dan Heyworth, CEO of Box Living, said the Auckland-based design-and-build company was thrilled with their first-ever award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.
“Other housing companies may also guarantee costs and build time, but you don’t see them being awarded for architecture!”
The Wellington house features the company’s modular post-and-beam structural elements which were readily adapted to a site that was not only petite but came with the additional challenge of a storm-water drain running the length of the building platform.
Box Living architect Tim Dorrington turned this problem into an opportunity; designing the house in two distinct forms – a living block surrounded by decks that seem to hover amidst the greenery and a bedroom block raised a half storey, which cleverly elevates it above the drain and provides storage and a garage below.
Clad in low-cost polycarbonate sheet; at night, when the lights are turned on, this cube-like storage zone glows like a beacon, providing ample illumination to adjacent outdoor entertaining areas.
Homeowner Tineke Stewart says that while building their first home was a big undertaking, she and husband Rob found it much more rewarding than buying an existing house.
“It’s designed with no wasted space so, while it’s small, it’s hugely functional; we both love living here.”
Heyworth says: “We’re all about quality of design over quantity of space so this award for Small Project Architecture is very important for us to be able to show that we can walk the talk.”
