Award-winning Architype: Architype NZ

At Farmers’ Corner, a tourist focused retail and restaurant business just outside of Ashburton, the owners decided to commission a new bathroom facility outside the main complex. They briefed Architype to create a unique “experience-centred bathroom facility,” and just like that, visiting the restroom was never the same again.     Director of Architype Tim […]

Windows flying out the door: NK Windows

With international travel largely off the agenda, Kiwis are turning their attention to improving their homes, with everything from wardrobes to windows receiving close attention. Martin Ball of NK Windows tells Metropol about the window options flying out the door.     Martin has noticed a major increase in renovation activity. “We are ready and […]

Refined reflection: Coll Architecture

This very established suburb of Christchurch has seen the seasons come and go for well over one hundred years. Mitchell Coll, Architect at Coll Architecture has employed this continuity in this awarding-winning design in Chapter Street, St Albans. “We used white materials and variable textures to change the appearance of the building through differing times […]

Gleniti oasis: Chilton + Mayne Architecture

This elegant sanctuary at Gleniti strikes the perfect balance of personal and social space. Designed by Chilton + Mayne Architecture, the brief called for a modern, contemporary family home which maximises space, sunlight and views, and which works in harmony with the site.     Director Garry Mayne and his team ensured large windows and […]

Local architecture shines on national stage

A handful of Canterbury architects and buildings have been shortlisted in the New Zealand Architecture Awards.   The shortlist was whittled down to 45 from the hundreds of regional winners, including 25 from Canterbury, as part of the annual peer-reviewed programme run by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA). Amongst those shortlisted […]

Going greener: WSP Architecture

  World Green Building Week was held in September and is the annual campaign that empowers us all to deliver greener buildings. This year’s theme was #ActOnClimate. Aotearoa, like the rest of the world is currently facing substantial challenges. We need stimulus packages to combat the economic impacts of Covid-19 and we need to slash […]

Stunning sustainable design: Weir Architecture

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the former eight-storey Latimer Apartments has overcome its troubled earthquake past to re-emerge as Canopy Apartments – a fabulous complex comprising 40 individual apartments overlooking Latimer Square and its century-old trees.     With options of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and four two-storey penthouse apartments, this is the ultimate […]

The B word: South Architects

When planning new home projects, conversations about budget and expectations should start early. Don’t wait until the design is underway, suggests Craig South of South Architects. Getting ready to build a new home is so exciting, particularly if it is for the first time. As architects, it is incredibly rewarding to work with people setting […]

Hillside sleek: Smylie Builders

In completing this stunning SDMC Architecture-designed home on Cannon Hill, Smylie Builders have provided a fabulous outcome for the owners, who faced tribulations in getting back onto their much-loved site post-earthquakes.   “Topography dictated the design, and we were involved in the whole process from design to completed build,” says Smylie Builders Creative Director Chelsea […]

An historic birthday

One of Christchurch’s most iconic heritage buildings celebrated a notable achievement recently – its 107th birthday. The Old Government Building in Cathedral Square has long been an epochal architectural addition to Canterbury’s cityscape. Beginning life, as the name suggests, as home to several government departments when it opened in August 1913, the building has lived […]