The Big Cottage banner
Project by
Year of completion
2021
Project cost
$1m - $2m
Building style
Cottage

Owners Vickie and John took as their inspiration a 1909 Bungalow
on Fendalton Road called Los Angeles House and Japanese Minka
Houses to create “The Big Cottage". The result is a modern reinterpretation of the Californian bungalow style but also with significant Japanese influence. The award-winning home incorporates timeless and enduring architecture, with the addition of the latest building technologies and techniques to create a comfortable, energy-efficient,
sustainable home. The sloping stone and timber walls and a sweeping roofline ground the building. The floor plan is completely different to a bungalow. The Japanese influence to the planning is evident with no hallway. Spaces flow from one to another, eliminating passageways and avoiding waste space. Shoji sliding doors allow the space to be
opened up or closed down depending on the desired usage from time to time.

Tour Talk 2022 https://youtu.be/Tg1UjZahzXg 

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
Owners: Vickie and John
Builder: Dan Saunders Construction
Architecture: Bob Burnett Architecture
Engineer: Davis Ogilvie
Walls: EcoPanel
Insulation: Terra Lana
Weathertightness and airtightness: Proclima

SUPERHOME FEATURES
● Super-insulated thermal bridge free construction
● Warm roof, Gerard shingles over PIR insulation
● CLT Cross Laminated Timber roof panels
● EcoPanel Walls
● Airtightness of 0.6 ach
● Windows: triple glazed uPVC
● Renewable energy: Solar PV and batteries
● Rainwater and greywater recycling 

Awards and
recognition

2023
TIDA
TIDA Highly Commended
2022
ADNZ
ADNZ Architectural Award - Highly Commended
Bob Burnett Architecture
Canterbury
Visit Website

About the
Professional

Bob Burnett Architecture has a longstanding reputation for award winning, energy-efficient, space efficient designs that are super sustainable. Exquiste organic architecture that exhibits the fusion ideas from the two directors, Bob Burnett and Japanese Architect, Shizuka Yasui. An overarching theme ‘Japandi’ - is the intersection of Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics, both of which utilize minimalist design principles and organic architecture. Research shows the Japandi aesthetics and techniques enhance people's health and well-being by integrating warm and natural elements in biophilic design. Simple elgence cleverly connecting with nature, through timeless design that also minimises impact on the environment.

Bob Burnett Architecture has championed energy-efficient, environmentally sound architecture for two decades. Bob designed New Zealand’s first 7 & 10 Homestar rated homes. His ethos is to create both beautiful and high- performance buildings for better livability, health, and comfort. He wants to normalise building better by helping people understand the link between New Zealand’s suboptimal building code standards, that are 20 years behind other OECD countries and alarming health and wellbeing statistics. In late 2015 Bob founded the Superhome Movement and earlier co-founded the Quakestar rating system after the Christchurch earthquakes. Recently Bob received the Sustainable Business Network Sustainability Superstar award.