64 | ARCHITECTURE Gibbons Architects Ltd T T Sue Russell Stunning coastal home wows judges Sliding timber screens are used on the exposed north and west facades. ENGINEERING WITH INTEGRITY www.nagel.co.nz 06 759 0477 Nagel Consultants is a boutique engineering consultancy based in New Plymouth. We pride ourselves on providing precise engineering advice with personalised service. If your project needs engineers who can think outside the square, we want to hear from you! • STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING • SEISMIC ASSESSMENTS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING • CIVIL DESIGN • RESIDENTIAL SOIL INVESTIGATIONS Sarah and Brady Gibbons established Gibbons Architects Ltd, upon return from overseas back to familiar territory for Sarah, who grew up in New Plymouth. “We spent time in Sydney, Wellington and London then decided to come back to New Zealand to establish our practice and settle,” Sarah says. While Brady originates from Blenheim, the two have certainly made Taranaki, and all it has to offer in terms of architectural inspiration, home. They have been behind the design of some of the region’s most iconic residences and enjoy the culture and vibe of the city. Gibbons Architects is based in the West End Precinct on Devon Street West, not far from the famous clock tower. Today, their practice has grown to four with the addition of architectural graduates Joe Batchelor and Jaimee Morley. The culture is very much about a collaborative approach between colleagues and rich engagement with clients from the get-go. Brady reflects how important the quality of communication, and the time it takes to create that, sit fundamental to their success. “We meet our potential clients and have a good chat to ensure we are compatible because creating a home, or working on a commercial design, are processes that can’t be hurried,” Brady says. He likens it to taking clients on a collaborative journey. Beginning with ideas, values, concepts design forms before detail takes shape. “We are never in a hurry at this stage. Sometimes, grounding too much information on paper can have a negative impact on how the design eventually arises. It’s about good conversation and keeping things open,” says Sarah. Coming up with a variety of ‘shapes’ still quite unformed on paper is how the design phase takes a step forward. “It’s at this point it begins to become a bit more grounded. We begin to work up 3D models so help our clients sense the space better but we don’t clutter it up with colour and too much detail. For us its important the space has its own time to evolve, unencumbered by too many visual cues,” Brady explains. Sarah says she absolutely loves working in residential design. It’s a different relationship entirely from doing commercial work. This is where a family will live and grow so it tends to carry more heart-connection for clients. This year Gibbons Architects entered a home they designed in Western NZIA Awards, announced on 16 June. The structure of the awards is something that appeals to the couple. “It’s not that the judges just give out a best award. If the judging panel consider a home is worthy of recognition, is of award-winning quality, they give that project an award. In that respect its quite a unique process. It’s not about a competition so much between entrants,” Sarah explains. Their Tapuae House, a coastal home positioned half way between New Plymouth and Oakura captivated the judges. Nestled in a gated community on 60 ha of what once was a working farm, divided into 30 large Lots, the home’s design sits comfortably in its landscape. “It has such a tranquil feeling to it. The site has been subdivided to allow good visual amenity,” Brady says. Focussing on the site, so exposed to the West Coast, the home was designed around a sheltered courtyard. Careful thought was given to how the environment would impact on the materials, timber was selected to weather into the landscape over time. “We liked the typology of the Hay Shed, where doors, or in this case screens, could open up and close as the weather dictated,” says Brady. All the internal spaces work together in a comfortable way allowing for easy living and good flow from one room to another. For Sarah and Brady the way the house responds to its unique environment is where the real value in the design rests. Tapuae House won the House Section at the awards, something the couple are very proud of. A lot of effort was put into the interior with a richness in detail given priority rather than street presence. “We were very fortunate to have clients who trusted us. Our best success is when we have had that process,” Sarah explains. Both have carried architect bones through their lives though have come into the profession from different pathways. For Brady he had always enjoyed drawing and came into the discipline from a civil engineering background. “It’s a merging of technical drawing with art and design that is for me really exciting.” For Sarah, the background was more creative; always interested in art. “I knew I was always going to do something along the artistic line. I just love the creative side of it and still am really passionate about art.” “We liked the typology of the Hay Shed, where doors, or in this case screens, could open up and close as the weather dictated.”
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