Fitting forms and spaces to people and places
Fitting forms and spaces
to people and places
There is a whole world of buildings – for all of us to live our lives in, to give our own meaning to, to fill our lives.
One should be able to experience the volumes of a building and their arrangement in a way that reinforces our connection with our loved ones, with our place on the earth.
These responsibilities are the essence of the relationship between the architect and the building owner and are at the core of making place – fitting forms and spaces to people and places.
We wanted to take the “mud brick” image out of the alternative lifestyle category and introduce it to inner-city Auckland.
Earth brick construction is classed as a mass intensive type of building, providing a steady state of thermal balance throughout the year.
Solidity and permanence from thermal balance
PASSIVE HEATING
Heat is transferred to the mass of the house from the sun via solar hot water panels and the heated water is piped through the concrete floor, warming the building throughout the year.
The first floor uses a highly efficient wood burner for heating the mass during winter.
The 300mm thick bricks were manufactured near Muriwai on the West Coast, about a half-hour drive from the site. The base material was mined directly from the sand and clay mix found at the brick-making plant.
A REAL FAMILY HOME
The house is constructed with solid earth brick up to the first floor window sills, with timber framing and weatherboard cladding above. The first floor is highly insulated with wool batting in the floors, walls and roof.
This large comfortable home is warmed by the sun and has an air of solidity and permanence.
This large, comfortable home is warmed by the sun and has an air of solidity and permanence.
Vastu meets Pacific coast!
Vedic design in practice
A STUPENDOUS VIEW
The view to the north over the gulf from the house is stupendous.
We worked with an expert in Vedic design principles – a Sthapati – to produce the form of this house.
The precise dimensions and orientation of the house required by the Sthapati involved exacting work by the builder.
SUSTAINABILITY
We used New Zealand-grown, plantation-sourced timber that did not require preservative treatment for the framing and cladding.
Citrus oil was used to protect the exterior timber.
Water is collected off the roof and solar panels provide hot water heating.
Sewage treatment is on site using a composting toilet and grey water system.
Brand-new… and with the charm of a hundred year old house
Improving on the past
There is a growing group of Kiwis who live in this beautiful country but are involved with business on a far broader stage.
Our clients for this project are international New Zealanders who wanted a substantial home base.
This is an all-new villa with every convenience that modern New Zealanders have come to expect. From solar powered hot water for the swimming pool and floor heating to the latest in audio and lighting control systems, this large house is far more comfortable than the original villas yet retains all of their character and harmonises with the local community, which contains a rich heritage of veritable 100-year-old villas.
The house has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, library, two sitting rooms, kitchen and family room, dining room, rumpus room, pool house and home cinema.
ALL-DAY SUN
A beautiful new home overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The site faces north and the home is stretched out along an east to west axis so every room gets all-day sun and a huge view north to Mahurangi, Tawharanui and Kawau Island.
The home is built on a solid concrete base over a massive four-car garage.
A suspended concrete slab absorbs the sun's warmth and supports the lightweight, 300 square metre, metal-clad first and second floors, which comprise four bedrooms, study, two bathrooms and a massive living and dining space leading out to a glazed, balustraded deck.
All-day sun with views across the Pacific
MODERN AND ELEGANT
The entrance sequence brings one up from the ground floor foyer through a glazed three-storey stairwell to a hallway above and, by passing the living area, keeps clear routes of movement through this modern and elegant dwelling.
Three stories of Pacific views
The classic New Zealand bach, with a twist
A home on Waiheke Island following in the long tradition of bach building.
The house needed to be very inexpensive and to have two large bedrooms and a large living area with decks and ample sun.
We turned the front of the house away from the busy port road towards the sun and the bush.
A substantial part of the cost was involved with the very efficient home sewage treatment plant and water tank that are a necessary part of Waiheke Island life.
We love the green stained plywood cladding chosen by the artist owner.
And all this for well under $200,000.
Who says architects only build expensive homes?
A big, big house
with a unique roof form
The prestigious site for this house is on the Waitemata Harbour above a busy marina near Auckland City. The marina is popular for yachts cruising the Pacific Ocean. The site is quite steep and west-facing.
Due to building height restrictions we needed considerable excavation to fit this four-level, 350 square metre house on the site.
The pool and courtyard are on the east, away from the harbour but protected from the wind and with the benefit of afternoon sun.
All the bedrooms and living areas look out to the marina, with views of the city beyond.
The massive three-storey atrium is glazed at the ends and the high-level bridge across the void confirms every day the drama and simple circadian joy of moving through the house.
Vastu proportions
and a farmhouse feel
Graeme and Raylene Lodge are leading lights of the Transcendental Meditation movement in New Zealand.
The Maharishi Vedic Academy is just out of Silverdale, about 30 minutes north of Auckland, and has planned facilities for a number of dwellings.
The infrastructure was completed for the dwellings once the necessary Resource Consents were granted by Rodney District Council.
The Lodges were early adopters of the extended services.
The two-storey house is located in a beautiful corner of the Academy Estate with views over the adjacent golf course and estuary.
Graeme and Raylene’s MSV home is nearly square in plan and features a central light well allowing an auspicious central energy focus. The windows are double glazed and the whole building thoroughly insulated.
With the tiled roof and the plastered exterior walls, the house has a European farmhouse feel but is definitely 100% Vastu!
Sustainability with views
This new studio and gymnasium for Nicole and Ladhu is now completed and the ply linings and ceilings are all in place.
The building has been painted on the outside a beautiful deep red/brown and the solar collectors, drainage absorption system and wastewater processing system are all fully installed.
The electrical wiring is shielded to avoid elctromagnetic radiation ‘leaking’ into the interior. Plumbing and drainage are all completed and the sustainably harvested, New Zealand-grown, 20mm thick eucalyptus fastigata flooring is completed.
This accessory building has great valley views and a lovely, protected northerly aspect.
The objective of architecture
“is to give people enjoyable everyday surroundings – through systematic use of suitable building materials – by respecting the local climate –
and with a feeling for form, structures,
and the beauty of planned space.”
Bill Toomath
The objective of architecture
“is to give people enjoyable everyday surroundings – through systematic use of suitable building materials – by respecting the local climate – and with a feeling for form, structures, and the beauty of planned space.”
Bill Toomath
Geoffrey Richards
Dip.Arch, MPhil (Arch), FNZIA , Reg.Arch.2658 (New Zealand), NZQA Level 8
Reg.Arch 4442 (Queensland, Australia)
Contacts
Mobile: +64 220 300 990
Email: apataarchitects@gmail.com
APATA ARCHITECTS LTD ©2024
Geoffrey Richards
Dip.Arch, MPhil (Arch), FNZIA , Reg.Arch.2658 (New Zealand), NZQA Level 8
Reg.Arch 4442
(Queensland, Australia)
Contacts
Mobile: +64 220 300 990
Email: apataarchitects@gmail.com
APATA ARCHITECTS LTD ©2024