Business Central December 2021

| 91 No job too tricky to tackle T Kim Newth BUILDING House of the Year 2021: iConstruct W ellington company iConstruct is showing how it’s done in that re- gion, having recently won silver at the 2021 Wellington and Wairarapa House of the Year Awards for just such a project. Impressive to the judges was how iCon- struct met the triple challenge of a steep slope, tricky access and unstable soils to build a beautiful architectural home in South Wellington. Firmly anchored to its site and following the natural slope of the land, the 149sqm house has been built to respect its environment and enjoy stunning views over Cook Strait. The home’s architect was First Light Studio, an award winning practice that iConstruct has worked with on previous projects. First priorities on this South Wellington build were site access and stabilisation. As iConstruct Director and Founder Jeremy Clar- idge explains, a track had to be cut through a road reserve at the top of the site before a ramp could then be constructed using hardfill to open up access. Extensive stabilisation work was then completed at the bottom of the site. “Everything had to be carted in or dropped by digger as it was a bit too far to crane things in.” Stepping down the hill in three levels, the home’s top floor has a lounge/rumpus room with generous built-in storage plus master bedroom and ensuite. Stairs lead from there to two more bedrooms and the home’s main bathroom in the middle level. Natural light flows into the stairwell via a 3-metre long skylight. Down another flight of stairs are the lower level open plan kitchen, living, dining and lounge spaces. The streamlined kitchen (Kitchen Elements & First Light) is simple and clean featuring matte-white finishes, oak accents and han- dle-free cabinetry. The home’s exterior is clean and sharp with a distinctive board and batten finish. Adding warmth in the entry area is a beautiful timber rain screen, while a door into an exterior laundry has been cleverly disguised so as to seamlessly blend with the whole. “We used a Shadowclad system from Carter Holt Harvey and worked really hard on making it look re- ally uniform. It was quite a collaborative effort between both Architect and Builder.” The client’s comment, on moving in, was that it felt like staying in a really nice Airbnb – “they love it!” A first time entrant in the House of the Year Awards, Jeremy is proud of the silver award that showcases iConstruct’s capabilities and further cements its reputation for delivering tricky architectural projects. “We are very often involved with high performance architectural design with passive house elements on steep sites and working for clients who have reasonably high expec- tations.” Launched in 2012, iConstruct employs a professional team including skilled project managers, carpentry-qualified site managers and six certified Passive Haus tradespeople. “We’re passionate about upskilling our staff and are very comfortable working with registered architects on complex new home projects.” Wellington’s residential construction sector remains very busy and Jeremy says it is excit- ing to see a number of younger companies getting involved and delivering work of a very high standard. mpressive to the judges was how iConstruct met the triple challenge of a steep slope, tricky access and unstable soils to build a beautiful architectural home in South Wellington. 0508 IN SINK tim@in-sink.co.nz www.in-sink.co.nz Proudly supporting iConstruct WWW.KITCHENELEMENTS.CO.NZ