Waterways House
Whitianga waterways is the country’s first manmade island, creating a unique juxtaposition between the manmade and natural environment. Pacific Environments wanted to draw upon and incorporate this contrasting aesthetic into the design of a luxury home for our client.
The concept
To reflect the boat building, gold mining and kauri milling history of the town, natural materials such as stone and timber were incorporated throughout the landscaping, exterior and interior of the home. Large stone walls act as features and visual resting points.
Although the home was to have a substantial footprint, its intention was not to be grandiose. A more honest and stripped back approach was preferred, where everything in the home had a seamless blend of practicality and aesthetics without compromising on quality or finish.
Soft light timber and clear coated ply was used throughout for the flooring, walls, feature stairs, coffered ceilings and other feature details giving the home a warmth that would have been lacking otherwise.
This modern home holds pride of place on the waterway. Designed for the owners lifestyle, private courtyards allow for continuous outdoor living that flows seamlessly from inside, and comfortably holds the helicopter in the helicopter hanger.
Professionals used in Waterways House
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About the
Professional
Pacific Environments Architects is an environmentally focused architectural & urban design practice working towards the best outcomes for people, place and community.
With over 60 years experience, our portfolio showcases a diverse range of projects – master planning and urban design, civic and community centres, commercial buildings, retirement villages, large and small-scale residential, community housing, education facilities, sports and leisure and resort projects.
Whatever the size of your project, we have specialists from our team of 40+ that can guide you through the design process. We support our services with a clear and cohesive design process. From briefing to project completion, including pre-purchase feasibility, site selection and contract administration, our goal is to provide an easy-to-follow and enjoyable experience.
An underlying philosophy at Pacific Environments is to promote environmentally sustainable and regenerative design. We believe that designing physical objects, the built environment and associated infrastructure to comply with the principles of social, economic and ecological sustainability are core to a constantly regenerating and self-sustaining ecosystem. Pacific Environments were early to adopt environmentally sustainable processes and methodologies in the practice, and were one of the founding signatories of New Zealand Architects Declare. As such, we are committed to strengthening our working practices to create architecture and urbanism that has a more positive impact on the world around us. We have recently joined Toitu Envirocare and are working towards becoming a certified carbon zero company by 2023.
The Pacific Environments team genuinely love what they do, our positive, energetic and ‘hands on’ approach along with a focus on understanding our clients’ needs means that we deliver tailored solutions, not generic answers.
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