74 | Performance meets functionality in design The house includes a number of high-performance elements that have provided much of the home’s features. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN KJ Architecture: Dan Saunders Construction T T Rosa Watson A new build under construction at West Melton near Christchurch has perfectly blended high performance with functionality and lifestyle. Designed by Christchurch-based architectural designer KJ Architecture and built by Dan Saunders Construction, the house includes a number of high-performance elements that have provided much of the home’s features, says KJ Architecture director Krystal Hildebrand. “A lot of those features are coming from the performance of the house itself. We kept really clean, consistent forms throughout the house, keeping its simple.” The 239sqm home, with a 50m garage and extended roof for undercover parking, sits on a 1251sqm flat section that boundaries a reserve. Materials used in its construction include Eco Panel walls, hydraulic in-slab heating and PVC triple-glazed windows and doors, making it fully airtight. The attractive exterior has two gable ends facing the reserve, with two further gables. The house is fully plastered with timber cladding features. Lifestyle was also a priority in the design, and the house easily opens out to an outdoor living area that takes in the next-door reserve. A landscape designer was engaged early on in the project, which means it will be semi-established on completion of the house. “It’s all come together quite seamlessly,” Krystal says. The trusses were up before Easter and the building is starting to take form. For Krystal, the most enjoyable aspect of the design process is working with the clients, and this project was no exception. “I met them at their place, which gave us the space to discuss their current home. Once you discuss all of that it just naturally builds a design brief. It’s very easy and fluid. “Sometimes, people don’t know what they want until I talk to them. We spent a really good amount of time discussing it and from that developed a really thoughtful design. They were really great to work with and it’s going to be a great project because of that,” Krystal says. She is considering entering the home in the Architectural Designers New Zealand awards. Another home she is excited to be working on is out at Charing Cross, also near Christchurch. “It’s similar to (the West Melton project) in that it’s still quite high-performance, but with a different methodology.” She says high-performance homes could be adjusted to fit any budget. “You can do it more up-spec, or you can do it slightly more modest. Exceeding the building code doesn’t take much for a lot more performance. It’s just trying to find that balance.” She is passionate about residential architecture and creating spaces for people to enjoy. “I love designing homes for people, and making those connections with people and how they live. The client relationship from the start is really important to me. It helps the projects a lot.” Krystal has worked in the industry for 13 years, starting out with a Sumner-based firm where there was plenty of Earthquake Commission projects following the devastating 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes. She also worked on a number of hillside projects, as well as projects around the country, including in Central Otago. It was there she started to move into more energy-efficient designs, and completed the first Homestar 9 home built in New Zealand in 2018. “I had quite a lot of interest in that high-performance area.” Krystal is now an accredited Homestar practitioner and has served on the ADNZ regional committee. After having her first child in 2019, she started out on her own, and through her network grew her client base. She has worked on projects in Auckland and the Coromandel, and there is work in the pipeline on the West Coast and in Taupo. • Supply, fix and stop of plasterboard • Residential and commercial projects • Level 5 specialists • Batt supply and installation • Metal ceiling battens • Free quotes Proud to support Dan Saunders Construction FULL PAINTING & DECORATING SERVICES FOR YOUR RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS www.spencerpaint.co.nz ph. 03 335 0205 Covering ALL excavating requirements throughout Christchurch & North Canterbury PROUD TO SUPPORT DAN SAUNDERS Kevin Williams 021 221 2616 | kevin@digoutservices.co.nz www.digoutservices.co.nz
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