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Viewfinder: Marina Mathews

Projects | Tell us about the five projects you've chosen as your favourites. Marina Mathews (MM): My first is Anna-Marie Chin’s Lake Hayes Cottage. Being based in Queenstown, I photograph a lot of luxury holiday...

Diversity in architecture: part one

Practice | Diversity in the New Zealand architectural profession is not just about gender but about including a range of ethnicities, abilities, sexualities, economic backgrounds and ages. Historically, the arch...

Houses revisited: Grey Lynn garage

Projects | It took vision – and perhaps a dash of desperation – to see the potential for what was previously a dilapidated mechanic’s workshop in Grey Lynn to become what you see in these images, a vibrant New Y...

The secret garden: Pilkingtons

Projects | Walking up the stone staircase to Pilkingtons on Shortland Street in Auckland’s CBD is like entering a secret garden. Elevated above the busy street and with the AIG building towering overhead, Pilkin...

Houses revisited: Point Chevalier house

Projects | Point Chevalier is now well and truly in the ranks of Auckland’s real estate top dogs, so it is not surprising that any site in the beachside suburb is worth building on, even if, like this one, it ha...

Inner-city haven

Projects | Despite its location – nestled behind the bustle of Parnell Rise – this apartment is like an oasis of calm. This might be in part due to the view; from the living area it takes in the landscape of bea...

Flexible space: AW Architects

Projects | Those who have remained in Christchurch since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes are a resilient bunch. Many Cantabrians testify that the sense of community in the area is stronger than ever, and a lot of ...

Parisian chic

Projects | Overlooking Le Moulin de la Galette, the historic windmill in Montmartre, Paris, this 1970s’ loft apartment is set out like a gallery space housing the inhabitants’ collection of contemporary art and ...

Energy flows

Projects | For Trustpower the impetus to move to these sparkling new headquarters in Tauranga’s CBD was all about accommodating for change. With the future of electricity as we know it being uncertain, Trustpowe...

Tree-hut hideaway: Jungle House

Projects | Located on a mountainside in São Paulo State’s Atlantic Forest, this house emanates the childhood feeling of being in a tree-hut: breezy, free from the stresses of the ground, and with an extraordinar...

Well connected: Black & White House

Projects | Standing at the front door, this 510m2 house appears like any other bungalow you might see on a tree-lined street in Remuera, but some surprises lurk beyond the original 1930s façade. The back half of...

Highly polished: Parnell Apartment

Projects | The apartment is located in a building perched on a steep rise in Auckland’s Parnell. It has an expansive terrace that fronts the city view, but the apartment was previously configured in a hodge-podg...

Sense of craft: Sea Change House

Projects | Named for the major lifestyle change the move to this house meant for its owners, the Sea Change House is a neat family home that manages to maintain privacy despite its tight suburban site. The homeo...

The modern bach: Pourerere Beach House

Projects | The small east coast settlement of Pourerere in the Hawke’s Bay consists of a narrow road and a strip of baches, many of which date back to the 1920s, spread along a slice of land at the base of a sea...

High performance

Projects | At 119 Great North Road (119 GNR as the building has come to be known), the luxury cars sparkle like jewels in the windows of the showroom, and the angles of the concrete structure in the building’s i...

Home on high

Projects | For those who spent their childhoods kicking around quarter-acre sections in suburbia, it might be difficult to imagine family life in a New York loft. According to American architect David Howell, wh...

Colonial charm: Stratford Street House

Projects | Much like Parnell's charming but narrow streets, the rooms in many of this suburb’s original villas can be difficult spaces for the modern family to navigate. Before renovation, this 1890s’ villa cons...

A good fit: Montreal Street House

Projects | / Despite being a new build with a contemporary aesthetic, this house on a busy inner-city street in Christchurch fits snuggly with its older neighbours. This is thanks, in part, to its form and siz...

Of the earth: Californian retreat

Projects | This family retreat stands on an old ranch property covering 200 hectares of farmland and hills in Central Valley, California. An expansive central living area forms a meeting space for extended famil...

Gold standard: Freemans Bay Apartment

Projects | It makes sense to live in the suburbs when you have children at home. There is space to spread out and family-friendly amenities abound. However, when the nest empties, the possibility of being closer...

Permanent holiday: Omaha House

None | City living has its drawbacks so many urban folks have dreams of retiring at the beach or somewhere far away from the hustle. Omaha Beach is a popular holiday destination for Aucklanders, thanks to it...

Hot House: Black Rock House

Projects | A site on a largely untouched headland in the sheltered and beautiful Lyttelton Harbour was a “once in a blue moon” opportunity for architect Jasper van der Lingen of Sheppard & Rout Architects to cre...

Place to be: St Benedicts flat

Projects | Auckland’s Eden Terrace is a gritty, city-fringe suburb on the move. With high-end apartment buildings such as SKHY and The Orange being established and redeveloped in its vicinity, its reputation as ...

Flooring focus: part two

Review | French oak / “There is a distinct relationship between the Humphrey Ikin bench, which is an outdoor furniture piece that has been brought indoors, and this solid French oak flooring. The flooring is f...

Calligraphy and stone: The Books House

Projects | Three books stacked haphazardly on top of one another created an unusual basis for the design of this house, dubbed ‘The Books House’ by its architect Luigi Rosselli. The clients, a calligrapher and a...

Natural history: Valley Crescent House

Projects | With vistas of Black Peak, Treble Cone and Lake Wanaka to be enjoyed from this elevated site, it made sense to design a house that fronted the view and didn’t compete with it, in a style that ties in ...

Te Manawa Atawhai Catherine McAuley Centre

Projects | The New Zealand Sisters of Mercy originally arrived on the West Coast of the South Island in 1878, having been sent across the world from Ireland to share their teachings. Their founder, Catherine McA...

Rural reminders: 12 Year House

Projects | It may have taken some time to arrive at the finish line – around 12 years, hence the house’s title – but, for the owners of this contemporary hideaway 18km north-east of Nelson, it is an idyllic and ...

Hot House: Melbourne hiro-en

Projects | In Japanese architecture, an engawa is a transitional area that is neither inside nor outside the house: similar to a porch or a sunroom in function. The traditional purpose of the space is to allow t...

Island time: Fiji home

Projects | Situated on Naisoso Island, just a stone’s throw from Fiji’s main international airport in Nadi, the plot of 3000m2 was ideal for the owner couple, Raina and Tejash, who both work overseas but prefer ...