Description:

This earthquake rebuild for a young family set out to capture the essence of their beloved villa, retaining its character, extensive use of timber, and connection to the front and back yards – and reimagine it as a family friendly, high performing sanctuary.

While deteriorated, the existing garage, fences and driveway now had a patina to embrace. Expanding on this and considering the couple’s love for some of the more traditional elements in their previous home, we explored shoin-zukuri and sukiya-zukuri which incorporate wabi-sabi aesthetics with the interplay of light and shadow – reminiscent of an aging villa. Sliding and opaque screens, alcoves, and crafted timber features further reflect this philosophy and infuse the new home with character.

The home’s siting and roofline mimic the existing street fabric, with an asymmetrical cutout offering an interesting form, lightplay, and glimpses of the mature street trees. The building is elevated to accommodate the council-owned open drain that creates a flow path across the site to the street, which is embraced with an exposed subfloor. The requirement for ground drains allowed for all spouting to be removed which saved build budget and ongoing maintenance requirements – a relevant consideration given the large street trees.

High performing pine (PLT) is used in lieu of traditional rimu floors, is laid like a tatami mat, and stained light to hero recycled rimu features. Low-cost pine and pipe fittings form a unique island bench, built by the architect and homeowner as a budget friendly solution. Vertical shiplap is a nod to the previous weatherboard home and surrounding area.

The dark exterior is in contrast to the light interior to reinforce the feeling of a sanctuary within. Scoria (also on the neighboring villa) and zincalume connect the opposing palettes, as well as the continued use of timber. Colour within is inspired by the mood and function of spaces, with alcoves and smaller rooms offering restrained areas for bolder choices that enhance the interplay of light.

Alongside achieving low embodied carbon through building small, minimal material use, and retaining existing elements on site, thermal comfort and low operational energy use were key drivers for the homeowners. This home achieves:
- Upfront embodied carbon: 265.58 kgCO₂e/m² (34,526 kgCO₂e total)
- Whole of life carbon: 531.6 kgCO₂e/m² (69,110.3 kgCO₂e total)
- Sequestered biogenic carbon: 54.02 kgCO₂e/m²
- Energy use: 62kwh/m²

While not measured in numbers today, planning for the future adaptability of the home and site further reduces lifetime impact. A resource consent allows for two townhouses at the rear and the new dwelling is transportable and more easily repaired – giving the family options in the future. The forever nature of this home encouraged the homeowners to take care and time restoring and building elements. While much is complete, the build continues.