Koia Architects Queenstown Office
By Koia Architects
The Ultimate Recycle
Context should always a consideration when planning a home close to an historically significant structure, and this was certainly at the forefront of architect Tony Koia’s mind when he purchased a piece of land for his new offices at Arthur’s Point, near Queenstown.
“Right next door is the popular Gantley’s Restaurant, a large historic stone building, so whatever I put on the site, I felt it needed to tie in visually – as though it could have been the original owners' house."
Koia found what he was looking for in Christchurch, in one of the city’s red zones, just a day before the demolition crew was due to move in and pull it down.
What he purchased was a circa 1900 villa that was an amalgamation of three key styles – an original villa, modified with bungalow windows timber panelling inside, then added to with a new kitchen and bathroom in the 2000s.
"The house was cheap enough, at $20,000, and the transportation added about $60,000,” says Koia. “Most of the cost was in restoring the house and putting the two pieces back together after we’d chopped it half to get it down here. It's a very brutal exercise, but you can put these things back together again fairly simply."
Whilst renovating, Koia made many improvements to the house, like introducing underfloor heating with piped hot water, and a 100% heat-efficient gas fire that recycles all the heat back into other rooms in the house. Modern lighting was also introduced, to meet office and living requirements.
“It would have probably been just as economical to start again,” admits Koia. "But now it’s done now, and good for another hundred years.”
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Koia Architects Queenstown Office
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Koia Architects has been practising the art of architecture for over 20 years. Established in Auckland in 1995 by architect Tony Koia, a second office was opened in Queenstown in 2004. Having offices in both the city and the mountains gives this boutique practice the unique ability to offer a personal and tailored full architectural service, with a commitment to 'Total Design' using sustainable 'Whole of Life' best practice.
“Your home should be a reflection of you, the site and the space in between.”
To reflect this commitment Koia Architects Auckland Ltd and Koia Architects Queenstown Ltd were created in 2006 to provide better service to both regions.Initial projects included all types of residential and apartment fit-outs including their integrated interiors, and landscaping design. This quickly expanded to include townhouses, terrace houses, apartment buildings, office fit-outs, commercial projects and hotel design.
As part of the maturing New Zealand residential market over, we have enjoyed providing creative solutions for different types of living environments and seeing our clients appreciate the benefits of these.Working in a wide range of residential and commercial projects keeps us fresh and always provides aspects that enrich future projects – regardless of the size or type.Each commission is special and unique.
Every client brings a different hierarchy of requirements and we identify these at the outset - whether they be aesthetic, quality, time or budget constraints - so a successful outcome is achieved. We encourage our clients to be involved throughout the design process as this often brings about a more fulfilling result.
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