Bennett House
By Imagine Architecture
Floor area: 257m2
The client’s brief for this site was to create a multi-levelled home which included the use of bleached cedar, exposed masonry and modernist cube forms. The client had an all up budget of $500,000 which was met.
The level front of the site was uncompacted fill up to 8m in depth so to avoid costly foundations the house was dug into the good soil of the existing slope which made it easy to create to a courtyard at the middle level.
The form concept was one of an extruded black box punching through a traditional gable. The black box has been cantilevered to project speed and define the shape. It is clad with vertical Colorsteel “Styleline” to enable a low maintenance solution with strong, sharp lines and features black aluminium joinery.
The gable form cladding is Hermpac Cedar weatherboard with custom profiled corners, barges and fasicas and silver aluminium joinery. The blockwork is sealed with Resene Multishield.
The interior features Hardigroove sloping ceiling and soffits, the use of stained oak timber for shelves, stairs and the feature glazed wall to the office, a Ferva gas fire and stunning polished concrete flooring. The kitchen uses English Tawa, stainless steel and white Corian.
Sustainability features centre on energy efficiency with the house exceeding H1 by 40%. Thermal mass in the form of insulated precast concrete flooring is a key. Materials have been sourced locally wherever possible and the interior timber has been sourced from sustainable plantations. Over half the lights are LED.
The client’s brief for the interior of this home was for a light and airy feel with texture and contrast.
The key philosophy used was to express the building components rather than simply apply decoration. These main components were the polished concrete floor with a salt and pepper grind, the stairs, built in oak shelves, oak and frosted glass office feature wall & door and the kitchen which used clear lacquered English tawa, Corian and stainless steel.
Key to the success of the design was the contrasts in textures such as steel and glass, timber and concrete, stone and fire, tile and carpet.
The lighting was carefully planned in ensuring the fixtures for each space, many of which were LED, were the right output for purpose rather than an oversupply of light “just in case” thus delivering an excellent yet energy efficient result.
A cool grey/green based palette of Resene paints was used for the walls and ceilings to emphasise the light and airy feel and work in harmony with the external light transmitted through the green tinted windows.
The master suite top level features the strong lines of Hardigroove ceilings and a fully tiled en-suite with roof glazing. The existing bed was refurbished and painted to suit the new interior.
The main level stairs feature bead blasted steel which is clear coated for a natural finish, glass balustrade, stained oak treads and stainless steel handrail.
Window treatments were kept within the grey/green palette to compliment the built forms rather than dominate.
Professionals used in
Bennett House
More projects from
Imagine Architecture
About the
Professional
Imagine Architecture (formally Imagine Building Design) is a multi-award winning architectural design practice that has been in business since 2002 with specialist expertise in Residential and Commercial design. Our practice has evolved through many iterations over the years. From starting in a shoebox home office, to growing into occupying historic premises at the Kings Building in New Plymouth, then to a sleek downtown high street practice. We have now gone back to our roots with small studio setups for Tony Biesiek out of Think Co in Tauranga and Steven Dixon in New Plymouth.
“Changing lives through great architecture & design”. That is the mission of Imagine Architecture. Since 2002, we have sought to infuse that mission into every project. Our designs are for high performance buildings that change lives. To achieve this, we combine aesthetics & energy efficiency with comfort & architectural appeal, function & use of space with quality interaction with the environment.
This approach is applied across all our projects irrespective of size or budget. We believe there is opportunity in every project to make better choices. This is accomplished thanks to better decision making to improve the quality of the space experienced by its occupants. Merely meeting minimum building code requirements is not enough. Exceeding minimums is the key to better buildings, be they new architectural homes or commercial structures. Optimum performance ahead of minimum compliance every time. Architecture with attitude!
Imagine Architecture aspires to uphold the Pritzker Architecture Prizewinner Glenn Murcutt’s ideal: ‘to touch the earth lightly’. This means we look at how nature has crafted the environment to this point in time, and form our design in relationship to that. For example, we have sculpted designs to the land, rather than the land to the design. Nature has brought us those spaces, so we strive to design structures to be harmonious with that nature. As custodians we seek to protect the environment through diligent stewardship and utilisation of the best high performance technology.
Our experience in over 1000 commissions to date is wide and diverse. In addition to servicing Bay of Plenty and Taranaki, we have commissions throughout New Zealand and have projects in Australia and Italy. In this modern age, geography is no barrier to delivering architectural excellence. The Imagine Architecture team's track record shows an ability to adapt quickly to client changes, government legislation and technical site situations. We have specialist experience in:
Residential homes and renovations
- Sustainable and Energy Efficient architecture
- Recreation & Parks facilities
- Apartments & Townhouses
- Mobility design and disabled access
- Retirement homes
- Gymnasia
- Schools & ECE
- Property development & investment units
- Industrial facilities
- Restaurant and retail design
- Shipping Container buildings
- Feasibility Studies
- Motels and Motor Lodges
Imagine Architecture promotes itself on the principle of “relationship marketing”. A large number of commissions come to Imagine Architecture by way of referrals from existing clients. This method of marketing reflects our philosophy of creating quality relationships with clients. This is achieved by friendly, clear and up front communication matched with a quality design service that meets the aesthetic, functional & financial requirements of the client.
Imagine Architecture is the experienced team to use if you are looking for innovative design that respects the environment, quality technical documentation, superior service through excellent communication.
- ArchiPro Member since2015
- Follow
- Locations
- More information