Architecture books from our Library 1. Minimum by John Pawson Phaidon Press Ltd, London UK 1996 The book Minimum is a catalogue of minimalist spaces, textures, and environments. Minimum consists of mainly images – with very little text or explanation. It is a great book to flick though when we are in need of inspiration,…
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Building Material Selection: Material selection is an important aspect of new and existing building projects. Materiality can define a building’s presence in its surrounding environment, whether that be in a suburban streetscape or rural landscape. Material Selection is also key when designing sustainable, durable and efficient homes. Some considerations when selecting materials are listed below. …
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Star Blocks and Medium Density Housing An introduction to Medium Density Housing The 1950s saw the rise of medium density state housing. Previously, New Zealand state homes were single dwellings on quarter acre sites. These developments, while successful at the time could only house one family per acre. Land prices and shortages in the 1950s…
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Tamaki Drive Design Proposal In 1998 Bruce Wild proposed to develop the Tamaki Drive shoreline. His proposal encouraged pedestrian access to the shoreline, recreating a forgotten beach below Tamaki Drive. The proposal shown in the sketch above, 1998. Proposed Site Takaparawha Point sits between Okahu and Mission Bays. Tamaki Drive hugs Takaparawha Point.…
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The Architect’s sketch Architects use sketching to explore concepts and ideas. A single sketch can govern the overall form of a building. As was the case for one of our recent projects; a Kainga Ora (Housing New Zealand) walk up apartment in Mangere. We developed the initial concept, taking the project to the resource consent…
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Taking a visit to McCahon House History Last year Dixon Wild visited the McCahon House. The house sits amongst native New Zealand bush in the leafy suburb of Titirangi. It provides an insight into how the artist Colin McCahon lived when he moved to Auckland from the South Island. McCahon lived in the house with…
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Making a site model is a useful exercise for architects during the preliminary design stage. It allows us to experiment with forms on the site; and to figure out what does or does not work. We recently created a physical model for our Whangaruru project. We documented the process with photos below. Step 1: Site…
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The building envelope is the ‘skin’ of a building. It consists of the walls, windows, roof and floors that make up a building and separate internal spaces from external conditions. Why is the Building Envelope important? The main purpose of a dwelling is to is to provide shelter to its occupants from external environmental…
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There are two types of consents in New Zealand; resource consent and building consent. The local authority (council) grants both consent to allow building work to proceed. Resource Consent Written approval from the local council to carry out building work that may impact the environment or other people. Altering the overall form or character…
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ROAD TRIP! Last month the DWA team visited one of our sites in the beautiful northern town of Whangaruru. The sunny weather was too good to stay indoors, so we left the office and headed up north for the day. The Journey: Whangaruru is a town just outside of Whangarei, about 3 hours from our…
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