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Triptych is a home for a young family. The brief called for an environmentally conscious, site specific and flexible design, providing a variety of indoor and outdoor living spaces. The home was not to be oversized and be positioned on the complex site to maximise the landscape potential.

The design response was to break the home up into 3 forms, each stepping up and across on the site responding to the topography and other site constraints. This enables all forms of the home to fit within the permitted building envelope without requiring additional consents from neighbours, and to ensure sunlight and outlook to adjacent homes are retained.

Triptych unfolds over 3 levels sitting above the garage plinth, each level offering a sense of reveal and function whilst feeling connected, intimate and spacious. The lower level of each of the 3 stepped forms follow the topography of the site with access to outdoor spaces. The home offers multiple areas for the family to occupy; a large family living room with reading nook, a window seat at the end of the first flight of stairs, a landing space alongside the children’s bedrooms with its use evolving over time to suit the children’s ages and changing needs. The main bedroom and study have an open connection to this area.

Garage is located on the lower level, up to Level 1 with main entry, living, kitchen and dining opening out onto the outdoor living patio and lawn, Level 2 with bedroom opening onto private patio, bathroom and laundry opening onto services area then continues with landing and children’s bedrooms, and Level 3 housing the main bedroom, dressing, ensuite and study.

Awards and
recognition

Johnstone Callaghan Architects
Canterbury
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About the
Professional

Johnstone Callaghan Architects is an award-winning studio based in Ōtautahi Christchurch and working across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The design led studio, formed in 2019 by Prue Johnstone and Mike Callaghan, has since expanded to a small team of architects and designers who specialise in, and are passionate about creating residential and commercial spaces with functionality and detail in mind.

Every project is an opportunity to design simple, considered spaces to be enjoyed, celebrated, and lived in for generations beyond our own. Our aim is to deliver responsive architecture to great clients and have fun doing it.

Johnstone Callaghan Architects have received an impressive array of local and national architecture and design awards since their inception from Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects, Designers Institute of New Zealand ‘Best Awards’ and the national ‘Interior Awards’ programme.

Johnstone Callaghan Architects have also been published in a book ‘Small Holiday Homes’, and architecture magazines including ‘Here’ and ‘Green Magazine’ in Australia.

Find more information about Johnstone Callaghan Architects here.

Johnstone Callaghan Architects is a Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Registered Practice.

At ArchiPro we recognise and acknowledge the existing, original and ancient connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the lands and waterways across the Australian continent. We pay our respects to the elders past and present. We commit to working together to build a prosperous and inclusive Australia.