Business South August 2020

| 45 Volume 29 | Issue 4 businesssouth Your rst and last call for all Plumbing needs. Proud to support TimNees Architects P : 03 377 5806 • 39b Sandyford St, Sydenham, Christchur ch • www .inlineplumbi n g.co.nz • Maint enance • N e w Housing • Ren ovations/Al t erations • Heating • C omple t e Bath r oom Specialists • I nsurance W o rk New andRenovations New and Renovations Kitchens Windows Doors Wardrobes PO Box 24267, City East Christchurch 8141 374 Ferry Rd., Woolston Christchurch 8023 Ph: (03) 389 2986 Fax: (03) 389 2017 Web: www.timbertru.co.nz Email: tony@timbertru.co.nz - Commercial & Residential Drainage - Groundworks & Retaining Walls - Demolition - Potable & Fire Water Mains Phone: 022 400 9686 Email: pearse@fosdrainage.co.nz Website: www.fosdrainage.co.nz 139 Taylor's Mistake Road 021 846 333 www.timneesarchitect.com THINKING SPACE / LOVING ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTURE » New Work Studio/Tim Nees Architects Off the grid retreat wows the judges Sustainability is at the heart of Tim Nees’ award-winning ‘Houhere’ at Port Levy. Photo: Eddie Simon Media Kim Newth Judges at the 2020 Canterbury Architecture Awards recently hailed ‘Houhere’ as “a truly casual kiwi weekender” yet the award-winning architecture by New Work Studio/Tim Nees Architects is also phenomenally detailed. This beautiful retreat, exuding informality, is the result of a carefully considered design process. On a saddle in a valley above Port Levy, the build- ing has been designed not just as a weekend hidea- way but also as a sustainable home for retirement. The location is simply stunning. “The first time the clients took me out to the site, I was blown away,” recalls Christchurch architect Tim Nees. “It is such a strong landscape: their site is on a little plateau, framed either side by steep hillsides. “The site is a farm paddock but they want to transform it into a more natural landscape and that started to inform ideas about what the house could be like.” The brief was for an unpretentious, functional home with sustainability and off-grid features. Pragmatic choices were made on finish and materials. “We kept it simple with timber finishes and plywood linings and used very little concrete in the project.” A rustic sawtooth roofline, reaching to the east, acknowledges both the natural setting and faded red tones of rural rooftops in the area. Tim says that the design favours soft morning sun from the east, while at the same time providing shade from the heat of western afternoon sun. “I worked with scale models in different configu- rations and orientations and asked the clients what they thought – they fell in love with the sawtooth roof too.” As the site is in a watershed, the main building has been designed to sit above ground with the lowest level reserved for car parking, water tanks and storage. Steps lead to the main level where the exterior deck and internal spaces seamlessly connect through sliding doors. Builder (Huntley Quinn) worked in close collabo- ration with the architect to ensure the design came together perfectly on site. In this off-grid house, the only connection to the outside world was for broadband cable. Electricity is generated from solar panels while water supply is via rainwater tanks below the house and wood burners provide heating. Sewage and waste water is treated in underground tanks. Tim ran an architectural studio in Wellington before establishing his practice in Christchurch. He has led New Work Studio/Tim Nees Architects for more than 20 years and, in that time, his practice has now received 21 NZIA Architectural Awards including the National Award for Excellence in Architecture. He is also a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Archi- tects. Strong connections to the visual arts community have honed Tim’s eye for proportion and scale, but he says having a good knowledge of how to put materials together well is also of immense impor- tance in his practice. Tim’s home and studio, overlooking Taylor’s Mistake, is another superb example of how he so expertly combines aesthetics with function. It is conceived as a group of objects sitting on a shelf; an architectural still life that artfully acknowl- edges the bay’s baches while maximising beach views and sun. New Work Studio/Tim Nees Architects special- ises in new homes and alterations and welcomes enquiries. The practice is finishing a range of projects through 2020, including a substantial new home in Christchurch.