82 | ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN McLeod Architecture - RP Builders PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MCLEOD ARCHITECTURE & RP BUILDERS TRUSTED IN TARANAKI FOR OVER 40 YEARS • FIXING • STOPPING • ORNAMENTAL • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL CONTACT PETER INFO@SWCLTD.CO.NZ 0800 127 246 admin.hawera@graypainters.co.nz www.graypainters.co.nz Fresh paint since 1956 Decades of experience, with the highest level of workmanship makes Grays Painting Contractors the company for your next project. Commercial | Industrial | Residential www.freestyleroofing.co.nz freestyleroofing@yahoo.com Proud to be associated with RP Builders and proud to support McLeod Architecture Clever design transforms urban site The challenge was fitting the new homes on to a relatively compact site, while maintaining privacy and creating generous living spaces. T T Russell Fredric Three contemporary townhouses in New Plymouth demonstrate how careful architectural design can transform a constrained urban site into practical, contemporary homes that balance privacy, durability and everyday liveability. The completed Araba Townhouses development on Clawton Street reflects the work of Hāwera-based McLeod Architecture. Working with an existing client, architectural designer and owner, Jared McLeod, was commissioned to design three new homes, while retaining the original house on the property. The brief called for two, three-bedroom homes of about 155sqm and a larger, five-bedroom dwelling of about 212sqm. The challenge was fitting the new homes on to a relatively compact site, while maintaining privacy and creating generous living spaces. Living areas occupy the ground floor, while bedrooms are positioned upstairs to separate communal and private spaces. Aluminium louvre screens help provide privacy from the busy street frontage and park opposite. “We wanted to keep it quite simple,” Jared says. “We kept the buildings mostly rectangular with a single-pitch roof, so there were no complicated roofing junctions. Being two storeys high, we also wanted them to be easy to maintain.” Durability also influenced the exterior material selection. Midland Aurora brick veneer forms a robust base, while dark Lignite BGC Stratum fibre cement weatherboards wrap the upper level. Alternating horizontal and vertical cladding profiles add subtle variation across the façades while maintaining a cohesive architectural character. “We were very conscious about designing something that doesn’t look like all the other townhouses you see. On the frontage, one cladding runs vertically and the one beside it runs horizontally to give them a little separation,” says Jared. The development was built by Hāwera-based RP Builders, continuing a relationship Jared has developed over several projects. This builder had also worked with the client previously, helping create a collaborative process from design through to construction. “Roger Prestidge has been around for quite a long time and mainly builds residential homes, although they also do some commercial work. I’ve worked with Roger before and he was the client’s preferred builder as well. They’re a good team, they do good work, they’re proactive and they’re a good bunch of guys.” Medium-density housing forms only a small part of the practice’s workload. McLeod Architecture predominantly undertakes residential, commercial and community projects throughout Taranaki for local councils, the Ministry of Education, commercial businesses and private homeowners. “Every day is different,” Jared says. “Each sector has different problems to overcome, and I really enjoy that problem solving; finding something that works both functionally and aesthetically for the client.” Regardless of the type of project, Jared says the same design principles underpin every commission. “We try to get the form right first, because if the proportions and scale aren’t right, nothing else fixes it. Then it’s about designing for light and, most importantly, designing for people. At the end of the day, someone is living there, so it should always be a collaborative process with the client.” McLeod Architecture is a member of Architectural Designers New Zealand (ADNZ), with Jared valuing the organisation’s role in supporting both professional development and the day-to-day running of the practice. “They provide a lot of ongoing training, and also give you a lot of tools to help with your business, so it’s a great organisation to be part of.”
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