The brief given to Stufkens + Chambers Architects for the award-winning Tauranga home affectionately known as the Pohutukawa House was “small, sustainable, simple and special”.
The challenge then became the pulling together of all of the aspects of the project without losing the essence of the words that encapsulated the client’s vision for their new home, which won a Housing Award in the latest Waikato Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards.
The clients had lived on the property for so long, it had become a part of them, said project architect Steven Chambers.
The architects sought to harness those connections and transform them into a new home to meet current needs. The programme for this small home was very specific, with a strong influence on being respectful in the connection to the site.
The home is understated on the outside, creates an intimate calm demeanour on the inside and is filled with moments of delight,” said Chambers.
Their design process took inspiration from the local surroundings to create a unique exterior and interior form. The resultant home sits modestly on the escarpment, nestling beside the majestic Pohutukawa tree adjacent to the property. The building begged to age gracefully into its location, so timber species were selected to weather and patina, with colour and texture connecting to the pohutukawa.
The entry is tucked away, and the arrival connects you firstly to the sky, before feeding you to more horizontal landscapes. Interior spaces unfold from a bright sky lit core recalibrating the experience as you move to each space.
Stufkens + Chambers’ approach to all of their projects, regardless of being a residence, commercial fitout, or new office building, is to have what Chambers called “kaleidoscopic eyes” – enabling observers to step back and see things from multiple perspectives.
“Architecture is largely misunderstood, as being solely about aesthetics and function,” he said. “But while we can tick those boxes, it is more fundamental than that, it is about people, places, and things, and the interaction between them all. It is how we fit into our world, and make it our own space to be in, be it at work or home.”
The winners
All 2019 award winners are listed below.
Commercial Architecture
Trust Waikato Te Puna o Waikato – Office Development, Hamilton; Chow:Hill Architects
The Kollective, Tauranga; Wingate Architects
Education
The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Ngā Kete Tuku Iho – Precinct Development, Rotorua; Design Tribe Architects
Enduring Architecture
Treetop Home (1977), Taupō; John Wilson Architect
Heritage
Wiseman Central, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Housing
Appleford Residence, Mount Maunganui; Brendon Gordon Architects
Matarangi Cabins; CAAHT Studio Architects
Split House, Mt Maunganui; Cummings Studio Architects
Matua House, Tauranga; Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Whanarua Bay House, Taupō; Fraser Cameron Architects
Kuiwai House, Taupō, Fraser Cameron Architects
Pauanui Beach House, Johnston Architects
Aotea Harbour Holiday Home, Kāwhia; PAUA Architects
Pauanui Beach Home, Peddle Thorp Architect
Pohutukawa House, Tauranga; Stufkens + Chambers Architects
Callesen House, Kinloch; Xsite Architects
Housing – Alterations and Additions
Checkers, Pauanui; Wendy Shacklock Architects
Housing – Multi-unit
Parkhaven, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Interior Architecture
Spectrum Building, Te Awamutu; Christopher Beer Architect
EWA Studio, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Planning & Urban Design
The Riverbank Lane, Edwards White Architects
Public Architecture
Te Aka Mauri Children’s Health and Library Hub, Rotorua; GHDWoodhead creativespaces
Whakatane Museum Refurbishment – Te Whare Taonga o Taketake; Irving Smith Architects
The clients had lived on the property for so long, it had become a part of them, said project architect Steven Chambers.
The architects sought to harness those connections and transform them into a new home to meet current needs. The programme for this small home was very specific, with a strong influence on being respectful in the connection to the site.
The home is understated on the outside, creates an intimate calm demeanour on the inside and is filled with moments of delight,” said Chambers.
Their design process took inspiration from the local surroundings to create a unique exterior and interior form. The resultant home sits modestly on the escarpment, nestling beside the majestic Pohutukawa tree adjacent to the property. The building begged to age gracefully into its location, so timber species were selected to weather and patina, with colour and texture connecting to the pohutukawa.
The entry is tucked away, and the arrival connects you firstly to the sky, before feeding you to more horizontal landscapes. Interior spaces unfold from a bright sky lit core recalibrating the experience as you move to each space.
Stufkens + Chambers’ approach to all of their projects, regardless of being a residence, commercial fitout, or new office building, is to have what Chambers called “kaleidoscopic eyes” – enabling observers to step back and see things from multiple perspectives.
“Architecture is largely misunderstood, as being solely about aesthetics and function,” he said. “But while we can tick those boxes, it is more fundamental than that, it is about people, places, and things, and the interaction between them all. It is how we fit into our world, and make it our own space to be in, be it at work or home.”
The winners
All 2019 award winners are listed below.
Commercial Architecture
Trust Waikato Te Puna o Waikato – Office Development, Hamilton; Chow:Hill Architects
The Kollective, Tauranga; Wingate Architects
Education
The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Ngā Kete Tuku Iho – Precinct Development, Rotorua; Design Tribe Architects
Enduring Architecture
Treetop Home (1977), Taupō; John Wilson Architect
Heritage
Wiseman Central, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Housing
Appleford Residence, Mount Maunganui; Brendon Gordon Architects
Matarangi Cabins; CAAHT Studio Architects
Split House, Mt Maunganui; Cummings Studio Architects
Matua House, Tauranga; Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Whanarua Bay House, Taupō; Fraser Cameron Architects
Kuiwai House, Taupō, Fraser Cameron Architects
Pauanui Beach House, Johnston Architects
Aotea Harbour Holiday Home, Kāwhia; PAUA Architects
Pauanui Beach Home, Peddle Thorp Architect
Pohutukawa House, Tauranga; Stufkens + Chambers Architects
Callesen House, Kinloch; Xsite Architects
Housing – Alterations and Additions
Checkers, Pauanui; Wendy Shacklock Architects
Housing – Multi-unit
Parkhaven, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Interior Architecture
Spectrum Building, Te Awamutu; Christopher Beer Architect
EWA Studio, Hamilton; Edwards White Architects
Planning & Urban Design
The Riverbank Lane, Edwards White Architects
Public Architecture
Te Aka Mauri Children’s Health and Library Hub, Rotorua; GHDWoodhead creativespaces
Whakatane Museum Refurbishment – Te Whare Taonga o Taketake; Irving Smith Architects
