Te Toka banner
Project by
Year of completion
2020
Building style
Contemporary

Solid as its schist foundations, Te Toka (The Rock) is both a lakeside sanctuary and an inspirational reminder that a home should be a long-lasting legacy. Clad in stone excavated directly from the building site, this majestic 820sqm property exudes masculine solidity, enhanced by fortress-thick insulated concrete form walls and 3.2m ceilings. Visitors are greeted in the ‘Great Room with a sublime view through an uninterrupted almost 10m expanse of European spruce triple-glazed windows. The nearly 2m-deep skylights indicate the astonishing roof thickness, which required an award-winning engineering feat to crane the innovative timber modules into place. Not only is this home breathtakingly beautiful, it is also an exemplar of innovative solutions in sustainability and craftsmanship, with its sheer size demanding uncommon expertise. Every feature is at scale, perfectly proportioned despite the large footprint. The final touches of a newly planted apple orchard and a small flock of sheep paint the ideal pastoral picture, belying the technological savvy involved in this build.

Awards and
recognition

2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Gold Award
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Category Winner
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Craftsmanship Award
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Supreme House of the Year
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Lifestyle Award
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Lifestyle Award - Sustainable
2021
Master Builders - Southern
Regional Lifestyle Award - Bathroom
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About the
Professional

Dowling Construction & Development (DCD) specialises in building unique, high-performing, luxury residences in Queenstown. 

Founding Director Dennis Dowling applies his extensive expertise gained from residential and commercial construction gained in six countries over twenty-five years to building award-winning homes in the Wakatipu. 

Most recently, a home built by DCD won Gold Reserve at the National Masterbuilder's House of the Year and Regional Category Award winner in New Home $1-2million, 2018.

Every DCD home is delivered with the same passion: Craftsmanship without Compromise.  These architecturally designed homes exceed expectations in workmanship, beauty and Passive House performance.