Business Central September 2021

| 105 Boutique practice making its mark T T Sue Russell Loving their locale - the Wairarapa region is enjoying a surge in interest from people wanting to live there. ARCHITECTURE Aspect Architecture & Houseworx Aspect Arxhitecture principal Victoria Read, left, and practitioner Katie Gunn. W airarapa-based architecture firm Aspect Architecture is a boutique professional practice and has been operating 25 years, in what is one of this coun- try’s most rapidly growing regions. Principal Victoria Read says concentrat- ing projects in the same region she lives and works in makes sense for a number of reasons. “You build strong and enduring relation - ships with individuals, businesses and council and the climate is absolutely fantastic to enjoy.” Along with Victoria, two other practitioners, Katie Gunn and Jake Goodger, complete the Aspect Team. “I guess we specialise mostly in hospitality, winery work, and new homes and this offers plenty of challenge and variety for us,” Victoria reflects. There’s also a strong thread of work derived from clients who live overseas, as is the case with the Flax Cutter Lane home in Greytown which was for a couple who were returning from Australia with the plan to build their ‘forever home’. Victoria says the home’s design specifically relates to it’s situation, nestled under the mountains. “We chose a pallet of materials which were ‘natural’ in form and sense. We wanted to reflect the natural environment and not take away from it. That was important for our clients.” Cedar, weather-board, stone walls and concrete have been applied outside, in a way that embraces the diversity of materials, yet presents a sense of consistency. “Our clients came to us with a very clear sense of what they wanted in terms of types of rooms and it was our job to take that list and turn it into reality in a way that works with the site,” Victoria says. With strong prevailing winds, placement of sunny sheltered enclaves was a design priority. After what Victoria describes as an intensive period of brain-storming the design fell into place. Victoria feels the house really has outstand- ing qualities to it. “It’s a big home but it doesn’t feel over- whelming. “It has different areas that you can tuck away in depending on what is happening.” Builder, Trevor Salisbury from Welling- ton-based Houseworx says the Flax Cutter Lane home was a pleasure to build, with outstanding results. The well-established design and build practice has inhouse architecture and design staff and a team of 10 builders along with a site supervisor. “We’re certainly not a group housing com- pany; not in the same league and usually only do six to eight high-end homes a year. Our primary focus at the moment are more low energy homes.” With the Flax Cutter home, Aspect Archi- tecture and Houseworx worked together to refine aspects of the design for example around the way the concrete slab perimeter insulation was designed in order to better insulate the house. “The build went very well and we have entered it in this year’s Wellington/Wairarapa Registered Master Builders’ House of the Year Award,” says Trevor. Houseworx is in the process of designing a show home which will settle in Greytown. The home will show-case eco-friendly de- sign and materials throughout. “The Wairarapa is a real boom district and our eco-type work takes us more into the Wairarapa, in terms of climate. “People are looking more and more at ways of building in sustainability at every level of the build and subsequent living in a home.” Both Victoria and Trevor say continued growth in demand in Wairarapa for the kinds of homes they enjoy designing and building is very positive. • Newhouse plumbing large or small • Enviro septic tanks and rainwater schemes • Drain laying and repairs &maintenance 027 2900 518 malneek_plumbing@yahoo.co.nz Malneek Plumbing