94 | ARCHITECTURE Ardmore Architects Wyatt*Chang Your local First Windows & Doors manufacturer Contact us today for all your window and door requirements Ph: 06 878 0160 | E: info@twincity.co.nz | 121 Elwood Rd, Hastings impressive plastering ltd 022 620 3571 | impressiveplastering@gmail.com Interior Plastering Specialists Proud to be associated with Wyatt*Chang 425 Queen St, PO Box 2113, Masterton P 06 377 2541 E www.lgeconsulting.co.nz Structural design for residential and commercial projects New builds and alterations Seismic assessments and strengthening of existing buildings BUILDING & RENOVATING, HOMES TO LOVE Key Services : Res ident ial New Bui lds Renovat ions Decks , Shed & Fences 027 859 5713 sam@ihakaconstruction.co.nz www.ihakaconstruction.co.nz Magic in Martinborough What began as a renovation evolved into almost a complete rebuild. T T Kim Newth Creating a visual connection T T Virginia Wright Garry Cullen created Ardmore Architects in 2014 when living in Ardmore Rd, Herne Bay, and has kept the name through subsequent moves to Waiuku and now Hawke’s Bay where he’s been for the last five years. Since he’s been living in Hawke’s Bay Garry has enjoyed keeping Ardmore Architects small and responsive, by working as a sole practitioner, able to pick and choose the jobs he gets involved with. It’s something he’s chosen enjoyed knowing that he’ll be working directly with those clients through the whole process. “I’m at that stage of my career where I enjoy the interaction with enthusiastic clients, and I enjoy the construction phase and being on site as much as the design phase.” After 40 years Garry has plenty of experience backing up what he sees as an architect’s essential attributes. “To be an architect you obviously have to have some design nouse and a flair for solving problems while making the most of client briefs, and you need to be able to listen. “I’m a realist so I work with the people, the site and the budget and come up with a real solution that’s buildable.” Always mindful of the client Garry makes good use of 3D computer modelling to take A Wellington-based architectural designer with international roots is redefining what thoughtful and cost-effective design can look like, following national recognition for a modest yet well- considered project in the Wairarapa. Rosie Wyatt Chang, co-founder of Shinton*Chang, has been highly commended in the 2026 HOME magazine Home of the Year Awards for her Martinborough House project, a personal renovation turned new build that reflects both her design philosophy and her cross-hemispheric experience. Originally from the United Kingdom, Rosie established Shinton*Chang as a small architectural partnership there, before relocating to New Zealand more than 15 years ago. She continued to run the practice remotely after moving, before eventually taking full ownership of the New Zealand arm of the business, while her former business partner established a separate practice in the UK. Now based in Wellington, Rosie balances her architectural work with raising three children, bringing a practical, lived understanding to the homes she designs. Her projects focus on functionality, character, and cost-effective solutions that respond to how people actually live. That evolution is continuing, with a rebrand underway. The practice will soon operate under the name Wyatt*Chang, reflecting both her married name and a new direction for the business. The Martinborough House project sits at the centre of that transition. Located in the heart of the Wairarapa town, the home began life as a former ambulance shed before being converted into a garden centre, with the original structure dating back several decades. Rosie says she was drawn to the building’s character and potential. “It had a lot of charm, and I could see what it could become.” What began as a renovation evolved into almost a complete rebuild, driven by structural challenges and the need to improve performance. The original footprint was retained, while prefabricated SIPs panels were used to achieve efficiency, cost control, and speed of construction. “We wanted to be really honest about what the building is and how it’s put together,” Rosie says. She chose to expose the SIPs panels, and reclaimed materials feature throughout, including retrofitted windows and reused timber, reinforcing a simple palette of timber and concrete. Subtle design features, such as hidden doors and custom joinery, add interest. them through what he’s creating with their future happiness in mind. Then it’s about delivering the project and success is when at the end of the day his clients comment that it looks exactly like what he proposed. In recent years Garry’s preference has turned towards the relatively simple lines of mid-century modern design with its characteristic use of natural materials such as stone and plywood, exposed structural steel and full height windows where you can afford them. “It’s about creating that visual connection to the site. Responding to the site is the key thing: the site, the sun and the views,” says Garry in summary. It’s that connection to the site that earned one of Ardmore Architects’ recent projects its place on the shortlist for the 2026 Gisborne & Hawke’s Bay Architecture Awards. Built on a site characterised by limestone cliffs at the back and an elongated east-west building platform offering a northern aspect, mid-century features were part of the discussion from the beginning. Originally from Auckland the clients were used to rain and wanted a space they could use at any time regardless of the weather. Hence a defining feature of the house is its large cantilevered roof which encloses an outdoor patio space with an outdoor fire and views out over the Hawke’s Bay plains. A defining feature of the house is its large cantilevered roof and outdoor patio space.
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