By Chaney & Norman Architects
Location:
Albert Town
Photography:
Daniel Allen + The Photographer's Studio & Laboratory
This Wanaka home is a good case study of building a high performing, thermally efficient house on a budget – without skimping on good design. We rationalised the brief to reduce the area of the floor plan to improve energy efficiency without cutting down on the functional requirements of a family home. The reality of a Wanaka based family typically means a lot of seasonal gear to make the most of the outdoors – which translates to a lot of storage space.
Therein lay the challenge: create a well designed, efficient floor plan which provided as much useful space as possible, within smaller rooms than may be expected in a modern family home. This is especially evident in the use of carport and outdoor storage lockers. Reducing the floor plan is the obvious first step to cutting down on construction costs, energy costs, and therefore environmental impact.
Cutting down on quantity in some areas, meant investment into quality could be made where it counts. Thermal performance was key, with the use of Passive House principles to achieve airtight construction. SIPs Panels and thermally broken slabs do the majority of the work to ensure this home requires very little heating to maintain comfort. Concrete block walls are used as internal partitions within the thermal envelope only. This provides mass to regulate internal temperatures, without introducing thermal bridging to the cold outdoor air.
Not all the design thought was restricted to efficiency and budget however. Plenty of time was lent to the “design flare.” The home feels warm and inviting with ample natural timber ceilings and flooring running throughout the house. However, this flare wasn’t all extra cost. As noted by Homes to Love, the internal joinery provided elegant design, on a budget: “By using standard hardware and simple, robust materials like plywood and Formica HPL, custom-built vanities, wardrobes, TV room and living room shelving, a study desk, pantry and kitchen, were built – all for the same price as many spend on their kitchen alone.” A reminder that good design isn’t necessarily synonymous with high price tag.
The interior spaces are deceptive in their size – whilst they are compact in plan, they feel open and spacious with good natural light and outlook. This connectivity between indoor and outdoor is celebrated with the courtyard nature of the house, providing visual connection of all the rooms across the house. In addition to the courtyard, there are multiple outdoor spaces to suit varying seasons or times of the day.
You can read more about this home on the Chaney & Norman sustainable building blog and at Homes to Love.
At Chaney & Norman Architects, great design and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do. By creating homes that are energy efficient with a high level of thermal performance, we deliver warm, healthy and comfortable homes that our clients love to live in.
Every client is unique, so good communication and well thought-out processes, alongside high quality design, ensure that we create a home that best suits you and your lifestyle. Each home is shaped in response to the local environment and to maximise the potential of the site and design brief.
We believe the journey through every project should be collaborative and fun. As a small but mighty practice, we are friendly and approachable, and we aim to make the creation of your home as enjoyable for you as it is for us.
We provide complete concept design, documentation, contract and site observation services for your project.
Our approach is nimble and flexible, responding to the individual needs of each client and project. We search for creative solutions to challenges by blending tried-and-tested methods with new technologies to achieve the best possible results for our clients and the environment.
Beth Chaney and Chris Norman formed a creative partnership in 2018, binging together a wealth of design experience and a mutual passion for sustainable, high performing homes.
The team works collaboratively, drawing on their collective experience to inform their designs. Previously known as Chris Norman Architecture, Chaney & Norman Architects has been helping clients realise their dream homes since 2009.