Green With Envy Passive Building

An old, well-built apiary near Matakana was repurposed by Construkt Architects for clients Wendy Faith and Sue Dobson, who wanted a café, home-ware shop and art gallery. Their brief originally linked the gallery to the apiary, but separating the two buildings created a sunny courtyard that serves outdoor dining and sculpture display.
The new envelope—high-performance insulation, deep eaves and cross-ventilation—lets the building operate as a passive structure with minimal mechanical heating or cooling. The courtyard arrangement remains, but the premises now trade as Green With Envy, a home-and-lifestyle store.