| 81 T T Virginia Wright Collaboration brings client-focused results The result is a good example of urban, infill intensification on a difficult hill site, Ashton Mitchell Architects ARCHITECTURE Ashton Mitchell Architects has been part of the Auckland landscape since 1984, when its predecessor was first established as a family-friendly company that prefers to promote from within. A gradual progression of partners coming through internally over the years ensures that the long-held tradition of a firm that believes in its team holds true. “It’s a collegial, collaborative atmosphere where everyone bounces ideas around to get good results,” says one of the current directors, Ben Sando, who joined the firm as a junior architect 12 years ago. Alongside the practice’s culture is their focus on the delivery of good design. “It’s about getting a good design that balances good amenity with cost-efficiency and building efficiency to deliver an outcome that finds the place where those things meet without breaking the bank,” explains Ben. Amenity means different things for different projects, depending on their size, scale and purpose. For a residential development, it might mean good sun, privacy, storage, and having the right amount of space; for commercial premises it’s more about finding the right mix of internal space, car parking, and enough glazing to allow for signage opportunities, and so on. Whatever the project, Ashton Mitchell Architects delivers quality designs for clients according to their individual aspirations. A medium-sized practice with a team of 28, their projects vary from $1m to $250m, and everything in between. While they mainly have a certain scale, whether they are commercial, industrial, multi-residential, terrace houses, or apartment buildings, the practice occasionally designs residential one-off housing, generally for established clients or friends of the practice, such as the one that recently won a Housing Award in this year’s NZIA (New Zealand Institute of Architects) Auckland Architecture Awards. It’s an example of a project at the smaller end of the scale, and proof of how the practice’s focus delivers for its clients. It’s also Ben’s home, and the result of exactly the sort of collaborative process that is central to Ashton Mitchell Architects. Ben and his wife Pam, also an architect, met while studying in Wellington where they lived for a long time, and where they had both enjoyed the residential architecture, explains Ben. “We wanted to use our architectural skills to make the most of a challenging site: a steep, tricky site in a neighbourhood that reminded us of Wellington – dense, compact, with a historic flavour and close to amenities.” The 300sqm site they found in Grey Lynn delivered, and so has the 150sqm four-bedroom house they moved into a year or so ago. The design came through several iterations as they drew on the collective expertise and ideas of Ben’s colleagues at Ashton Mitchell, and brainstormed endlessly at home. The result is a good example of urban, infill intensification on a difficult hill site, just as they had hoped. It is a cost-efficient, multi-level house clad in black Colorsteel (a pre-requisite of resource consent), lined with plywood, which steps down the section, with every room the result of careful analysis to come up with the right dimensions to allow for its core function while making good use of its space, whether as drawers under the built-in sofas, or overhead cupboards built with room to work underneath. The surprisingly private roof terrace surrounded by native trees is a favourite feature, while another key feature reflects the success of the whole. “We managed to design a feature stair that creates a focal feature while connecting all three levels together in a seamless way that is both efficient and architecturally interesting,” says Ben. Clearly, the judges agreed. Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. Each edition priority delivered to your door. i i i i li . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . t f . . / i ti 03 983 5525 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, profiling their success. t i f r ; r it i r i i - r r ll i t r , r fili t ir . businessnorth architecture delivered.
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