60 | ADNZ: MnM Design Small is big for clever design duo The MnM Design team specialise in thinking outside the box. Karen Phelps ARCHITECTURE Need a builder? Your design, my advice • New homes & Light commercial • Quality renovations & alterations • Licensedbuilderwith 30years experience • Covering all of The Bay of Plenty Proud tobe associatedwithMnMDesign 07 573 7118 / 0275 573 920 chris@harveyconstruction.co.nz www.rt-construction.co.nz 027 415 3856 Architectural Designed Custom Homes • Commerical Construction Home Renovations/Alterations/Additions • Construction Management With many New Zealand cities running out of space, and energy and building costs rising, designing couple Maurice and Marije Regeer from MnM Design believe there is a need to be smarter about how our housing is designed. “We have to think smaller and extend durability so we only build what we really need,” says Maurice. ‘Big on small’ is the company’s motto. Coming from The Netherlands, they say has given them a great advantage in compact housing that’s easier to maintain and cheaper to build and run. Maurice says in the current economic climate this is a growing trend because as the cost of living and materials goes up it’s logical to build smaller, more compact houses with smarter design. “The floorplans of New Zealand homes have been reducing and the current push for affordability will continue to drive this trend towards smaller homes,” he thinks. “If you build more practically, instead of large open spaces, you can save a significant amount of money and the environment benefits as well. People are definitely asking questions about where materials are coming from and the carbon footprint now when building a home.” The couple’s work has consistently been recognised in the Architectural Designers New Zealand awards and they have just entered a home in Papamoa in the 2022 awards. Maurice says the project was to build an accessible home to accommodate the client and her son who had physical challenges. The original house was demolished and the new three bedroom 130sqm home has been made for easy movement with no obstacles and wider doorways. Another compact home project several years ago was a minor dwelling in Te Puna, Tauranga. Called ‘Tiny Town’ the home was added to a lifestyle block with the parents living in the main home and the son, daughter in law and their four children in the 60sqm minor dwelling. With two bedrooms and one bathroom, to maximise the use of space the four children live in one bedroom that has bridges and climbing ladders for them to access their beds. The idea is that when the grandparents are ready to downsize the families can swop homes. MnM Design has also recently completed a seven level home in Ohakune that follows the lay of the land rather than requiring retaining walls and extensive excavation. The 105sqm two-bedroom home has staircases leading from one level to the next creating rooms on top of each other giving elevated rural and mountain views. With shortages of land to build on sections are now generally smaller and more challenging, says Maurice, often having sloping, stability or flooding issues that requires a different way of thinking. And thinking outside the box is something the MnM Design team specialise in, he says. Maurice and Marije work co-jointly on every project – exterior and interior - from their own compact 12sqm office. Maurice says by working on the interior at the same time they can ensure it works seamlessly with the overall design. “If you do small spaces you have to take the interior along right from the beginning otherwise you get unworkable spaces. “For example on the seven level home we have made staircases interesting sitting areas and created multi function rooms, used by different people in different ways. And on the minor dwelling project, we worked with the client who is a cabinetmaker, to incorporate window seats that become storage or a couch. “For us out of the box thinking comes naturally because we have done a lot of projects, both in New Zealand and overseas, including commercial and larger homes, so that experience inspires our designs.”
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