Seaside houses scoop architectural awards

Koru House designed by Graham Sawell of Pyramidz Architecture Design Ltd.

New houses built in seaside areas north of Auckland scooped two architectural awards last night.

A circular-shaped house on the Tawharanui Peninsula and a startling white place at the waterfront playground of Omaha won Architectural Designers' awards, sponsored by Resene.

Graham Sawell of Pyramidz Architecture Design won in the category of 300sq m-plus houses for his Koru House at Tawharanui, built so the owners could work from home and have short and long-stay guests from overseas.

The house has passive solar heating and ventilation and was developed around environmentally sustainable principles. Renewable and recyclable materials were used in its construction.

The judges said the sophisticated how was based on a spectacular and flamboyant plan.

"The designer has shown a considerable skill by knitting together a multitude of spaces through an extended plan which winds in and out of the landscape," the judges said.

Mark Callander of Creative Arch won for houses in the 150sq m to 300sq m category. He designed the stark white Omaha place, which the judges likened to a boat house, remarking on its clean gable forms in roof lines which they said created a visually strong impression.

A double storey entry draws visitors into the open plan living spaces and private outdoor spaces to the rear but that entry also provides separation from the sleeping wing and gives access to self-contained sleeping spaces upstairs. The judges said the house had a classical simplicity about it, enhanced by a uniform paint scheme.

"The outdoor spaces are well integrated as transition areas between the inside and outside," they said.

Seven awards were made for buildings in the Auckland and Northland regions.