| 65 Townhouse developments a forte Medium-density town and terrace houses form part of a growing workload for Keith Ussher Architecture. Keith Ussher Architecture & Wilsons: Redruth Ave ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Keith Ussher established his Christchurch based architectural design practice, Keith Ussher Architecture, about thirty years ago, and while now semi-retired with his son Craig running the business on a day-today basis, he still enjoys going into the office. “You have to keep the mind active, don’t you. I enjoy working with people, but it’s the architectural design that I’m really passionate about. There’s nothing more satisfying than the lines that you have drawn becoming reality as the building is constructed. Everything you have drawn has to work.” Keith adds that it is attention to detail and looking after the clients, that has been the key to his company’s success. “I’m old school; the customer is always right, and we go the extra mile. The challenge is providing the quality required by the client, within the budget they have set.” Over the years, Keith has resisted specialising in any specific type of architecture, preferring a generalist approach resulting in a steady flow of projects. “I come from Banks Peninsula and live in the country. We’ve designed a lot of rural houses and farm houses, which I like to do very much. We’ve also designed a lot of housing on the hill, which many architects and designers tend to shy away from. We also do a lot of commercial projects including shops and many motels. Over the years we’ve designed a lot of medium density town and terrace houses, and have amassed significant experience, which we bring to our design projects.” Keith says that many of the medium density housing sites are in the 600sqm bracket, with four or five units, and the challenge is to make them all look a bit different, using different materials and rooflines. “Much of that is determined by the medium density rules that have been designed to stop urban sprawl. But our experience is as much about dealing with the rules and the challenge of keeping up to speed with them.” Over the 2020/2021 period Keith Ussher Architecture had completed a number of design projects for property developer Wilsons Ltd who had bought property around Christchurch, most which had older houses and prime for medium-density redevelopment. One of the properties was a 658sqm section in Redruth Avenue, Spreydon. “Spreydon is a nice area and the zoning rules allowed for multi-unit town house/ terrace house development. We always do feasibility studies for our clients, to provide them with options of what could be built on the land to maximise their investment. What Wilsons settled on was four two-storey, three-bedroom adjoining townhouses, varying from 120sqm to 130sqm.” The design brief required an appealing and contemporary design, with generous open plan living areas, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and single garage, which Keith says was very prudent given the significant oversupply of two-bedroom units on the market. “The exterior design includes quality materials such as cedar and Integra plaster, and Colorsteel roofing. The lower level includes modern kitchen, dining and lounge area, all open plan. There’s a laundry and single garage. A staircase leads to three bedrooms. The master bedroom has an ensuite and walkin-robe and a separate bathroom services the other two bedrooms. We use OB Design and Landscape Architecture to provide the overall landscape design, which is all part of the resource consent approval process. We have to provide a good landscape layout which includes a patio for each unit, and outdoor service areas.” While building consent has been approved, construction is yet to commence. Keith says that while his company’s role in the project has effectively ceased, there are always questions and changes to respond to once construction commences. T T Richard Loader “There’s nothing more satisfying than the lines that you have drawn becoming reality as the building is constructed.” Branches in the following locations... Contact us: Head office 03 344 0132 | office@entireelectrical.co.nz | www.entireelectrical.co.nz Proudly supporting Keith Ussher Architecture &Wilsons
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