About

AD Architecture is an architectural design company, specialising in high performance homes. Based on the Kapiti Coast, AD Architecture provides architectural services for new builds and renovations across the greater Wellington region, and all around New Zealand.

Founded in 2008 by directors Peter Davis and Jon Ambler, their unique approach incorporates style, budget, environment, and function to achieve desirable, high performance architecture.

We are in touch with modern trends and materials, including weathertight home resolutions and are committed to promoting sustainability and energy efficiency to ensure your next home promotes a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle .

Proud members of the Architectural Designers Inc., NZ Institute of Architects, and the Superhome Movement, AD Architecture are also Licensed Building Practitioners.

Awards and recognition

2023
Master Builders House of the Year
Gold
2020
Master Builders House of he Year
National Category winner
2017
Master Builders House of the Year
Silver
2015
Master Builders House of the Year
Sustainable Homes

Testimonials

Peter’s design met the competitive price point brief, while incorporating style and encompassing bespoke design concepts. David Reid Homes have a proud history of building beautifully crafted, innovative homes and AD Architecture’s Trebury Design was exceptional and a pleasure to build. Peter’s utilisation of a strong singular mono pitch structure along with textural cladding elements and locally sourced macrocarpa weatherboard cladding contrasted with bagged and painted brickwork. AD Architecture’s design of this 3-bedroom home in the leafy, eco-friendly subdivision of Ferndale is ideal for relaxed living. Peter used contemporary styling with a mix of neutral colour tones, textures and natural materials combining to create a light-filled, relaxing retreat, finished to the highest standard.

Tim Sunderland

Congratulations to Jon and the team. As I sit here in the heart of winter writing this in my tee shirt the house is 24 degrees with only Solar heating and while it will drop through the night the coldest, I have seen is 19.2 so pretty good considering we have 27m2 of unprotected glass in the room where we are taking the temperature.

I have managed to get out for a bicycle ride the last couple of nights and have taken great pleasure biking around and seeing everyone with their fires on while I think the borer will get our stash of firewood before we get around to using it.

Leonie and I have started to keep some stats on the house and we can confirm that we have exceeded our target of 90% saving over a std NZ home, in fact we have been exporting power through this time when generation is almost at its lowest so we have saved more than 100% and will become cash positive in terms of energy (not bank balance).

So, thanks for your support and it’s nice to know I'm not crazy and for a small margin over a conventional house you can achieve a big difference in liveability and house performance.

Chris & Leonie Beggs

We’d visited a house Peter Davis had designed with many of the eco-friendly features we were interested in, so he was the first choice to design our home. Our brief was for a house which, among other things, utilised solar gain and power-generating technology, and provided flexible living for either a couple or extended family. Our house not only meets those practical requirements, but it is a stylish, comfortable home for which we regularly receive compliments. The design and build deservedly won national awards, but the fact that, six years on, we still love our home shows that Peter clearly listened to our ideas to create a beautiful, functional design. The AD Architecture team were great to work with and we would definitely recommend them.

Richard & Yvonne Mansell

David Reid Homes were given an outstanding design for this remarkable eco home by Peter Davis of AD Architecture. The Kanuka Rural Eco Home is part of the environmentally responsible property development, Ferndale, and we were very proud to have received a Gold Award in the Master Builders House of the Year Awards.

Peter created a home designed for a young family. His superb design ensured the build adhered to the development’s strict sustainability and design requirements. Indoor and outdoor living space was maximised and another outstanding feature was the solar energy design.

Ferndale’s covenants and design guidelines were a top priority for AD Architecture and they met every requirement which ultimately led to this award-winning home displaying true character on the site as well as promoting sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable resources.

David Reid Homes has a key goal in building innovative homes that reflect personalities and the way people live their lives. Peter’s design ensured that outcome for the Kanuka Rural Eco home.

David Reid Homes

When I met Peter, I had done some rough drawings of how we would like our house to be, but he came with some great ideas that we had not thought of ourselves that really enhanced what we were wanting to achieve. Now, 12 years later, we still enjoy our little paradise on the Kapiti Coast. Peter even helped us with an extension a few years later. We can really recommend Peter and his team.

Hans Itjeshorst

We were very pleased with the work produced by AD Architecture as they took our ideas and wants and turned them into a fabulous home. In other words, they were great at listening to what we wanted and turning that into a great design. We were also particularly impressed with all their work with the council as there were no problems at all with documentation and planning approval. We were also really impressed with the ease with which they worked with the builders and engineers on the job as they were able to get things done quickly and efficiently.

Peter and the team are very friendly and easy to work with, so much so that we are using Peter on our current renovation project.

Graeme & Jacqui Nelson

“When planning the build of our new house, we contacted several building companies and found the best they could offer was to drop a predesigned plan onto our section.

That lead us to contact Peter. One visit to site and two lines drawn on paper (a graceful curve tacking the sun and views intersected by a line to the bush) and we could see that he was listening to our vision.

His final design incorporated all our requests and fulfilled every part of our brief.

The result was a warm, energy efficient, sunlit, spacious home with the enormous wow factor.”

Denis & Liz Paku

As the first and only home we plan to build, we had high expectations. We desired a home that enabled easy living and reflected the rural surroundings and our Waa Rata environmental ethos. It also needed to be adaptable over time as our living needs changed. With this brief and our initial concepts, Peter was able to design a home that we are extremely comfortable living in. He provided solutions that met the brief and our aspirations. We felt that Peter and his team listened to our queries and created solutions that we considered were workable and buildable. As our expectations were exceeded, we would recommend the team at AD Architecture to any future home builder.

Phil Stroud & Marian Smith

In 2005 we undertook a major renovation of our beach house at Waikanae Beach and engaged Jon Ambler to provide the Architectural Design component.

Working alongside Jon to make our vision of how our house could be altered, a reality was a straightforward process and we felt that he listened to our desires and concerns to produce a fantastic family beach house to meet our original design brief.

Having had many memorable family holidays at the house since construction, we are as thrilled now with the outcome as we were in 2005 and always look forward to our next break at Waikanae Beach

Phil Mears

Peter was very effective in executing and enhancing our original design ideas. He gave us a great use of space, flow, and a connection with the outdoors. His approach was thoughtful and considered, and we never felt pushed into ideas we were uncomfortable with. He was respectful of our budget and enabled us to build a house we love.

Nick & Kelly Robbers

Many thanks to Peter and team for making the building of our home such an enjoyable experience. We gave Peter a brief emphasising sun and views. We also emphasised compatibility with the rural setting – we wanted a house with external features that would fit into the rural environment. Peter quickly drew an initial design that met our expectations, and building proceeded with few adjustments subsequently needed. We were very happy with the process and remain equally happy with the outcome.

Tony Fenwick and Phillipa Grimes

“Before building my recent commercial property at 129 Rimu Road, I had never experienced a new build before, either commercially or residentially. I had heard many stories from others, so I knew the importance of getting things right, especially from the beginning. When looking for an architect I asked local people and the name ADarchitecture kept being recommended to me.

The commercial property market can be very competitive so I needed a building that not only stood out from the ordinary, but would also be as future proof as possible, while meeting all safety and building standards, and within an acceptable budget. Jon Ambler and his team at ADarchitecture met, and often surpassed these requirements. Jon and his team would often arrange meetings with the builder, tenants, and myself so that mutually we could find solutions so that we all achieved a successful outcome.

Now the building is complete, all the tenants, builder and I are very proud of 129 Rimu Road and are grateful for the professionalism of Jon Ambler and the team of ADarchitecture.”

Andre Blenkiron