Sharp Deck Addition
By Imagine Architecture
With a summer climate that brings fierce sunshine, the odd rain shower, blustery winds and increasingly busy lifestyles most of us cherish every moment we can get to relax and enjoy being out of doors. With such a truism the need for covered outdoor living spaces to extend our homes and our relaxation time has never been more important.
For these very reasons this client’s brief was to provide a large covered outdoor living space along the north façade of their 1950’s weatherboard home to accommodate large family gatherings and connect them to the bushy outlook to the west whilst providing protecting from the prevailing wind…a westerly. Add to that a touch of resort like luxury!
As the existing home had undergone recent interior remodelling and repaint a philosophy of “touch the existing house gently” was adopted. Further instruction from the client was their express desire for the use of timber, visual integration with existing home and for the design not to cause the space to overheat yet leave everything light and airy. The slider doors to the front of the house were also the main access so the space had to also perform as a front porch and provide easy access directly from the parking area and garage.
The design solution was to pitch a reverse lean-to canopy gently touching the existing roof and then opening up towards the north sun and bushy views. The front of the canopy is supported via glulam beams on a series of painted weatherboard wing walls which provide an orderly sub-division of spaces. The longitudinal beams are connected to the house and wing walls through carefully detailed and engineered stainless steel pin fixings. With the connections being minimal the roof floats atop the space.
The roof itself is constructed from cedar rafters and purlins with light weight polycarbonate clear roofing providing UV protection whilst allowing light to permeate the space below through the narrow purlin spacing’s.
The screening of the deck from the street is addressed via a higher, more solid wall around the recessed spa pool. Lower seats and planters edge the rest of the deck with wide steps directing visitors to the main door. The westerly breeze is managed with the use of bifolding cedar louvre screens which can be opened and closed to suit. To ensure sun into the living room a glass roof link connects the main canopy with the house
This project is all about the details such as extended rafters, tapered beams and planter boxes set off from the wing walls with uniform negative gaps. The decking is Purple Heart in the Hermpac watershed profile. The project is completed with LED lighting and an integrated blue-tooth sound system.
Professionals used in
Sharp Deck Addition
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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.
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