Into the fold
With elegant, origami-like forms that echo its stunning surrounds, the success of this new-build home in Queenstown was in the precision craftsmanship by Shore Construction.
WORDS Cassie Doherty PHOTOGRAPHY Mickey Ross
It’s all about that roofline. It’s the reason this Ta¯huna Queenstown new-build flows so gracefully within its landscape. And piecing it together with razor-sharp accuracy was the most crucial part of the construction.
This 323m2 home, known as “Wings over Water” has a double twisted plane infalling roof with opposing twisted soffits, resembling a butterfly.
“The natural stained timber envelops the form of the building, folding up the angled soffits which are carved around the slopes and intercepts seamlessly into the land. The butterfly roof of the house extends towards the mountains, mimicking the peaks and troughs of the landscape beyond,” says Nick Shore of Shore Construction.
As you enter through the front door of the home, your eye is drawn to views of Coronet Peak which can also be seen from the main bedrooms, library and conservatory. While the corner of the living area opens up towards Cardrona, and the Crown Ranges.
With the entire house clad in cedar, it was a puzzle the team relished. “It was very technical, but we had the right guys there, and they thrived on it. They spent months outside doing all the timberwork.”
The design of the house, initially conceived by Kamermans Architects, is all about making efficient use of the sun. Homeowners Bob and Wendy wanted something energy efficient – and different.
The team was up for the challenge. “We wanted to bring to life Bob and Wendy’s vision, to exceed their expectations,” says Nick. Bob was impressed by the team, especially site foreman Edd Bragg. “Edd’s ability to manage the job on-site was exceptional, as well as dealing with us as clients. Nothing was a problem, and his technical ability and knowledge far exceeds his age.”
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The outside cladding was a major focus for the Shore Construction team, says Nick. “The ceiling is pitched internally to follow the shape of the eaves outside, giving the illusion that corner of the roof is floating. When you’re standing in the living room, it looks spectacular.”
Nick says there was another element of complexity to the build, the large artificial pond. “The site was dead flat when they bought it, but Bob and Wendy spent a year doing all the landscaping before the construction was even considered. So when we turned up to start construction, we had to work around all that existing landscaping. We were only about 1.5 metres away from the edge of the pond during the entire build, as the decks didn’t go in until the end. We had our scaffold set up in the water for the majority of the build.”
It was an unconventional approach, but there was no other option but to install the pond prior to construction says Nick. “They wouldn’t have been able to do it later; it would have been physically impossible.”
The jetty was built during landscaping and was a key component when setting out the build says Nick, “When you open the front door, you look through the home’s conservatory, full of subtropical plants, straight down the jetty towards Coronet Peak. The whole design is centred around that view, it was our focal point.”
It was attention to detail that saw Shore Construction win the tender for the job. “We were building the house next door,” says Nick. “We were engaged by Bob and Wendy’s project management company to provide a tender for this project. They recognised and were impressed by what we were doing.”
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Nick says Bob and Wendy were very clear about what they were looking for right from the start of the tender process, and Shore Construction worked collaboratively with them. Nick says Shore Construction is well versed in tailoring their services to meet the needs of each client. In this case, after the original design by the architect, they managed all aspects of the build.
Nick and his team worked very closely with the homeowners. In fact, Bob and Wendy moved from Ta¯maki Makaurau Auckland into a tiny home on the site, for a hands-on approach. “In the majority of our projects, our background is in design and build, so we’re used to putting all the right people together and managing that process from start to finish,” says Nick.
“With Bob and Wendy being on site, there was a lot of interaction, and they put trust in our team. There was a lot of communication,” says Nick. Bob agrees, “From day one of talking to Nick about the project, he had a good understanding of the detail of it.”
Interior finishes and the kitchen and bathroom designs were worked on together. Bob and Wendy knew what they wanted and already had some materials picked out. Everyone involved helped finalise the designs.
This on-site process meant decisions could be made on the spot. The glazing throughout the house, for example, was upgraded to triple-glazed early in the build, a choice made by Bob and Wendy just as they were signing the contract. “It was the first project we’d been involved in with triple glazing,” says Nick. “You don’t notice the weight of the doors when you open and close them, they slide so well.”
Energy efficiency was important to the homeowners, says Nick. “The house is built to a very high insulation standard, there’s underfloor heating throughout, and it reaches far above the Building Code. It’s pushing on the edge of being Passive House Certified without going to that level.”
SLEEK DESIGN Barrett Joinery collaborated on the striking kitchen design, as well as several other projects in the house. The decorative wire mesh in the island recess is Archant Wovenpanel in Armand Black Copper, and the benchtops and splash back are Dekton Radium, with a smoked mirror panel above.
Sustainable in its design, the shapes and angles of the eaves allow for the low winter sun to enter deep in the home, while keeping the heat of the high summer sun out. The home’s two twisted planes of the roof are connected by a central gutter that discharges rain water into water tanks for potable water garden irrigation and grey water fittings. Solar panels supply power to this off-grid home, while the conservatory space produces passive heating, allowing the owners to grow sub-tropical plants year-round.
It’s also a smart home says Bob, “It’s quite a technical system that operates the house from the front doorbell all the way through.” That also includes the sophisticated lighting, all from ECC. Bob is a fan of the smart tech system. “You can do everything on your phone. Now we’ve got it, we wouldn’t have anything else. It’s very, very cool.”
The homeowners say they could not be more thrilled with every part of their new home. “They made sure that everything was right,” says Bob. “It was very seamless, and that’s how they get the quality. We love it, and now we can sit back and enjoy it.”
Nick and the Shore Construction team are also delighted. Despite the intricacies of the build and the extra considerations of working around an already-completed landscape, it was well worth it seeing the result. “It was a great project to be involved with. We’re very, very proud of what we’ve done there. With the landscaping already done, we were the last ones to leave, and it was nice to walk away with all the landscaping glowing. It looks like the house has been there for ten years among the gardens. So that was really rewarding.”
Involved in this project
BUILDER
Shore Construction
0800 688 7313
shoreconstruction.co.nz
KITCHEN JOINERY DESIGN AND BUILD
Barrett Joinery
03 688 4738
barrettjoinery.co.nz
WOODEN FLOORING
Forté
0508 356 677
forte.co.nz
ELECTRICAL SERVICES
Caldwell Levesque Electrical
03 348 0873
cle.co.nz
PLUMBING HEATING AND VENTILATION
Optum Plumbing and Energy Solutions
03 443 5718
optum.co.nz
