It was an interesting proposition to marry modernist sensibilities with passive house design principles, architect Rohan Collett says of this recently completed dwelling, which he believes should be a marker for the future.
Over the years, the clients had gathered a collection of reference projects; homes they felt articulated ideas they wanted to incorporate in their own build. There was a clear theme: each celebrated the mid-century in one way or another.
The outlier in all of this was the desire to design with passive-house principles. They weren’t set on the house being certified, but they did want the performance that comes with designing in this way. The brief piqued Rohan’s interest, primarily because it resonated with something he feels is lacking in New Zealand: the pairing of residential architecture with energy efficiency and sustainability.
“Meeting high-performance criteria needn’t be at the expense of beautiful architecture; in fact, we believe it is fundamental to creating truly beautiful architecture, for beauty surely extends to the experience of living.
“This is where architecture should be heading. It’s our responsibility, and I think this project is a step towards that. Often, where this sort of thinking falls down is that, if performance is the objective, then that leads the design decisions, rather than the two [sitting] side by side.”
This house is located in a typical subdivision of single-storey homes and gabled roofs. “It’s fairly conservative but this corner site provided an opportunity to do something a bit different. The clients wanted a sunbathing deck
on the roof, which was quite unusual. What they weren’t expecting was for it to become a stargazing deck at night, and a place to watch the storms roll in over the Canterbury Plains.”
The main living spaces are arranged around a central private courtyard — a core space that draws in fresh air and natural light. The house is orientated towards the north-east to maximise solar gain in winter, bold lines are offset with gentle curves to mark the entrance — a move echoed above on the rooftop deck. Skylights feature throughout, while a warm roof, airtight construction, triple glazing, solar panels, and a mechanical heat recovery system contribute to a home the owners describe as a sanctuary: “Living here feels easy; it’s a home we can breathe in.”
Image: Dennis Radermacher
