Whare Paetara – Wall House

The clients' design brief was to create their forever healthy home with as little environmental impact as possible. A Superhome and Passive House standard if budget permits, with best Quakestar resilience and universal design.
This single-story, 3-bedroom Superhome is a striking contrast amongst the traditional neighbouring properties. Measuring 134m², it is a testament to what can be achieved when favoring quality over size. The clients were keen on a home providing optimal health and comfort with low energy use.
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Whare Partara is a small home with a big idea. This is evident in the home’s large stone spine wall dividing the public living areas from the private bedrooms and bathrooms - serving multiple functional roles and strongly connecting the exterior and interior aesthetical vibe. Acting as the backbone, it splits the roof heights and accommodating services such as the mechanical heat recovery ventilation system and plentiful storage. The wall also allows for high-level windows to provide natural cross ventilation and bring an uplifting quality of morning sunlight.

The use of sustainable natural materials help ground the home, stone and cedar cladding with the timber portal legs helping anchor the building on the site. The owners report feeling more connected to nature partly due to relying on the sun for solar energy and the solar gain through the large windows contributing to passively heating their home. As a result, the clients are now more conscious of where the sun rises and sets throughout the year.

This home received two 2023 ADNZ Resene awards; the Highly Commended Award for a new home up to 150m² and the regional Kaitiakitanga Award. Kaitiakitanga is the ethics and practice of protection and conservation of the natural environment and the resources within it, on which people depend.
Magazine article. https://www.abodemagazine.co.nz/home/2023/10/19/feeling-super