86 | ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Parkes Architecture: Lewis Build j sc.co.nz | 0800 57 26 88 Celebrating 125 years of supplying New Zealand premium, sustainable timber solutions. Retaining Walls Driveways Piling Earthworks & Drainage enquir y@epic360.co.nz | www.epic360.co.nz Specialist in Residential & Commercial Plumbing, Gas & Drainage. Servicing Auckland & Northland +64 22 068 4455 ompplumbingnz@gmail.com Design and technical excellence Externally, pale sand toned brickwork and vertical timber cladding create warmth, texture, and depth, with curved forms softening the coastal facade. T T Kelly Deeks Parkes Architecture founder Adam Parkes says the strongest point of difference he offers clients is a combination that can be hard to find in the market: refined design sensibility backed by the technical discipline needed to deliver complex projects successfully. That balance is on full display in the practice’s Norwood Road House, a coastal home responding to the challenges of its clifftop Auckland site while creating a functional space for a family also hosting guests on a regular basis. Adam says his background working in both residential and commercial architecture for respected practices including Warren and Mahoney Architects and Studio Pacific Architecture helped shape that approach. “Sometimes you get strong design ideas without the technical rigour to carry them through, or technical capability without the same design sensitivity,” Adam says. “I like to offer both.” Established in 2020, Parkes Architecture is a boutique Auckland-based practice focused on context driven architecture that balances proportion, materiality, performance, and buildability. The Norwood Road House came to the studio through an existing relationship with Lewis Build, whose reputation for premium residential construction aligned with the client’s expectations and the complexity of the site. Adam says the owners wanted a contemporary family home with generous entertaining areas and strong connection to sweeping sea views. “They had an open brief. They wanted something refined, large enough for family gatherings, and a home that could accommodate extra guests.” The site offered exceptional outlooks but also significant challenges, sitting near the edge of a cliff and requiring specialist engineering for foundations, site stability, drainage, and environmental protection. Planning controls also applied around native vegetation, with resource consent needed for careful management of existing native planting through construction, and to ensure the house was a suitable scale for the neighbourhood. Restorative native planting was included in the outcome. Adam says early landscape thinking is really valuable to ensure the whole property is considered when designing the building. “We always consider the external environment from the start. It helps shape how the home feels, how spaces connect, and how it sits within the land.” The result includes native planting for biodiversity, with a winding path leading through bush to a jetty below, reinforcing the connection between house and coastal setting. Although the clients wanted a highly glazed home, Adam says it had to be carefully managed for thermal performance, privacy, and long term comfort. The solution was a restrained northern street frontage contrasted by the south facing harbour views opening right up with more window area. As the house is entered, there is a gradual reveal of views and spatial volume as you proceed through the spaces. “There is a smaller snug near the entry with custom seating, then a generous, double height main living space facing the sea. That shift in scale gives the house richness and allows inhabitants to move from intimate to expansive spaces when it suits.” Material choices favour lightweight timber framing for environmental sustainability and cost control. Externally, pale sand toned brickwork and vertical timber cladding create warmth, texture, and depth, with curved forms softening the coastal facade. Adam says early contractor involvement also helped refine buildability and cost before consent and construction, allowing practical input from Lewis Build during design development and reducing risk later in the process. “When design, buildability, and site response are aligned early, you get a better outcome and a home that sits naturally within its environment, both now and long term. It makes the whole process more efficient and more resolved for everyone.”
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