The project for ‘Obella’ involved the interior design, kitchen design and exterior seating area design for a new Mediterranean restaurant and cafe in the Long Bay Village centre. The materials palette reflects the restaurants’ location near the beach at Long Bay Regional park. Natural sun-bleached tones of sand and driftwood with amber glass accents. White painted timber and bright red chairs are also used to create a beachside ambiance. Canvas shade canopies soften the overhead light and provide a sense of shelter while demarcating the interior seating areas.
Project for the renovation of a one-bedroomed apartment in a two level block of 1970’s flats in Grey Lynn, Auckland. The project involved the design and installation of a new contemporary kitchen and bathroom. The compact flat, typically for the time, was broken into a number of small rooms. A laundry room was reconfigured to give extra space to the bedroom and bathroom, and an unnecessary separate hallway removed. The existing stairs were reconfigured and finished in industrial rubber flooring, and a shoji inspired screen built to allow light to filter down to the lower level. Dark oak timber flooring is used throughout against white walls with an accent colour on the wall adjacent to the stair, visible on both levels.
Concept design for a gallery and artist’s residence in central otago. Located within a small township, the focus of the brief is to provide a place to display local artwork from the surrounding area, with a tendency toward environmental work.
The brief also included a requirement for environmental sustainability within the building. Natural overhead diffused lighting is used to reduce energy use, as is natural ventilation and a high performance thermal envelope.
The angular form of the building is loosely conceived as an ‘erratic’ glacial boulder left on the wide flat of the valley floor. These are often the isolated boulders that are used for rock shelters in the surrounding alpine landscape.
The form of the building separates the two main functional areas within two wings of the sculptural form, with a public gallery facing the main road, and the artist’s residence and studio behind. Two contrasting cladding materials are used to both reduce the scale of the building, in keeping with its surroundings, and to demarcate the different functional spaces.
deli / cafe / ice-cream
‘nice’ Deli-cafe and Ice cream shop located in the Long Bay Village centre on Auckland’s North Shore. The cafe sits in the new Long Bay Village Food and Beverage precinct on the edge of Long Bay Regional Park.
An addition to an existing small 1950’s weatherboard house, the project consisted of two additional bedrooms and a bathroom. The concept design originally included a loft reading space between the two bedrooms but this was removed from the final scheme.
The addition is clad in Yakisugi cedar weatherboard prepared by the owners, who were very closely involved with the construction process. The boards were set out to match the existing weatherboard cladding, allowing for a decorative and functional copper junction between the old and new. New double glazed timber framed joinery was designed to match the style of the original joinery in the rest of the house. Solid timber Rimu flooring was selected to match existing flooring and finished with natural oil.
Concept design for a small house on a hillside location. The site has spectacular views and sits on a slope running down to the west. The 5m height limit on the site influences the roofline which follows the site slope, allowing for an extra height living area on the west end of the building, while creating a full height upper level bedroom. This compact house is orientated for sun and views while providing shelter from cooler southerly breezes, designed to maximize outdoor living potential.
The brief called for the utilization of space with the efficiency of a mountain hut, reducing size to the minimum, while providing for the level of comfort we expect from a house in an environment where winters can be harsh. Within these parameters, architectural quality was the objective, to make the absolute most of the site, the views and budget. Hut aesthetics weren’t the solution, because while the appeal of the hut form is obvious, it can only work successfully at a small scale.
The relationship of the house with the landscape also deliberately avoids the tendency to try to domesticate the site. The aim was to retain an unmediated connection to the site, to be able to step out of the building directly into the wider landscape.
Design and construction observation of a mediterranean style restaurant in Orewa. The concept for the restaurant included elements from various Mediterranean cuisines. The seaside location was also an element that we wanted to reflect. In terms of design, we wanted to include elements from diverse cultures, creating a space with a contemporary style while avoiding cartoon pastiche.
The main driving design element became the tiling, a technique very typical of the Mediterranean. The highly patterned floor tiles transform a previously nondescript space. Copper and black glazed hexagonal tiles are also used in the bar area to add textural richness, as does the T&G paneling on the white walls. Natural timber furniture and upholstered bench seating add warmth to the cool blue and white colour scheme.
If you’re going to live in the bush, then you better like trees. A project to update the lower level of an existing house and create a more self-contained unit. The project necessitated the creation of a new laundry and bathroom, and the opening up of an existing living area to provide more sun and light. In the bathroom, classic white subway tiles surround the shower-bath area with hexagonal patterned flooring and powder blue paint finish to other walls. This project shows the value of paying attention to the detailing of basic elements and the value of skilled tradespeople in delivering a great result.
The brief for this project was to design an economical house that included elements of sustainable design, hence the ‘eco-eco’ tag. A balance was sought between achieving maximum environmental credentials, build cost, and livability. The project was aimed at occupants who want a low energy home but do not necessarily want to have to adapt to the building to achieve this, by using design rather than technology.
The main focus was on passive solar design, site orientation, thermal mass floors, high levels of insulation, thermally broken double glazed window joinery, waste minimization and recycling, and a focus on using more sustainable materials.
The project consisted of up to 20 units on a site on the fringe of Auckland and the design was to be replicated, with variations in materials and layout, across the site.
Flexibility is designed into the structure of the house. The interior of the living wing can be configured in a variety of ways, without changing the structure or form of the building. Additional features such as solid fuel or solar heating can be included depending on preference. Interiors can also be tailored to different budgets, and to enable owners to personalize the design.
Interior scheme for the 'eco-eco' concept house. This design was developed as a sample scheme for the living area of the house.
Flexibility is designed into the structure of the house, with no structural walls or columns within the main living space. This allows the living wing to be configured in a variety of ways, without changing the structure or form of the building. There are 3 main options for the positioning of the kitchen / dining / living spaces within the larger living area volume.
Restaurant concept design proposal for a site on Auckland's wharfside hospitality area. A combination of natural materials and geometric patterning are used to create a subtle link to the mediterranean theme of the restaurant, while remaining contemporary. An informal lounge area was included to create a variety of zones within the space, to suit both formal and casual dining, and to suit daytime as well as evening dining. Another key driver for the project was to improve the site's relationship to the street frontage as the area develops from being focussed solely on the harbour edge to the surrounding streets.
Stage one of a project to establish the Auckland Zen Centre in an existing commercial building. The brief included converting the existing building into a zendo space for meditation, as well as office and library spaces, a kitchen and dining area, workshop and private meeting rooms. The initial project was undertaken on a restricted budget, with a lot of the work done by zen centre members. Further development of the building will follow.
Furniture design and furniture making give an opportunity to explore ideas and materials with more creative freedom. While all these items are built with a specific purpose and functional brief, they do at times share a design aesthetic with some of the architectural projects; a concern for the sculptural object and how it relates to its siting and function, working from the assemblage to the coherent object, and a focus on flexible use.
BOXY
A flexible shelving unit able to be adapted to any space, designed for mobility and adaptability. The form of the units reflects the design intent of informal assembly, while the gloss black and timber finish of the plywood references lacquered cabinetry or the finish of a piano.
OVNI COFFEE TABLE
Blonded plywood layered to give the appearance of having been carved from a single slab. 1.2 x 1.2 x 0.45m
FLIGHT CASE
An experiment in portable furniture for the traveller. An aluminium skin covers a pine structure.
All items available for sale P.O.A.