64 | ARCHITECTURE Intuitive Architects & Owens Building T T Kim Bowden Dual awards for Wānaka home Designed by Intuitive Architects to be both “beautiful” and “unassuming”, a Wānaka home has picked up both a New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) Southern Architecture Award and a Master Builders Supreme Award. The project, called Scout, was recognised in the NZIA’s new housing category for the southern region. Judges praised its “vernacular aesthetic and simple form”, noting how it “has been cleverly crafted to recede into its suburban context”. They highlighted the collaboration between the architect and the interior designer client, “inspired choices of materials and refined detailing”, and the way the “double-height living areas contrast low-height areas” to create a dynamic flow of spaces. Architect Ricky Booth says the seeds of the project were sown years earlier when the clients stayed in a Wānaka house he had designed. “They loved the place so much they said, jokingly, ‘one day we’d love to buy a block of land and have you design us a house’. A few months later they called to say they were ready.” From the outset, the aim was to create a home that sat quietly in its alpine setting. “We didn’t want to compete unnecessarily with the amazing surrounding natural context of alpine outlook and gleaming lake views,” Ricky says. The design drew on Central Otago’s traditional gable forms and robust, simple materials – corrugated iron and western red cedar – with OSB (oriented strand board) lining much of the interior. The understated palette, Ricky says, allows the shifting light and views to be the main event. Playfulness was also built into the plan. Ceiling heights change dramatically, from a deliberately low 2.1 metres in the entry link to the soaring main living space height. One bedroom looks into an internal light well rather than the views, while a loft above overlooks the double-height kitchen and dining area. The master suite can be closed off and run independently from the rest of the house, with its own deck and outdoor bath. Owens Building was brought in to deliver the build, a decision Ricky says was “absolutely no question”. He had worked with owner Dave Owens before, and knew he could execute the precise detailing the design demanded. “Dave was meticulous, and his attention to detail contributed enormously to the result,” Ricky says. Judges on the NZIA tour also remarked on the exceptional craftsmanship, particularly the full-height doors and OSB-lined jambs – an “extremely unforgiving material” to work with. The collaboration extended beyond architect and builder. Sophie Bowers, managing director of Sydney-based Strutt Studios, brought her interior design expertise, while the structural engineer was another long-term collaborator. Ricky describes the process as “a joy” with “a pretty complementary layer of skillsets across the project team”. For Ricky, good architecture is as much about people as it is about form and function. He prides himself on a personalised approach, “getting to know clients intimately to understand what it is they want to achieve and how they like to live”. “It allows us to work with them to deliver a special home or building,” he says. JOINERY 021 270 8688 info@objkt.co.nz 7A Venture Cresent, Wanaka www.objkt.co.nz
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