Otago region leads the housing field
In the Southern region, housing was the standout. 27 Otago projects took awards from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, and eleven of them were homes, spread across Wānaka, Queenstown, Arrowtown and Tarras.
Presented at the Regent Theatre in Dunedin on 22 May, the Southern field ran from civic and commercial work to remote high-country builds. But it was the compact, considered family home that defined the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes entries.
A standout was Garden House by Sarah Ritchie in Wānaka, a compact 111-square-metre home for a family of four. The jury praised its thoughtful use of recycled and repurposed materials, and with high insulation and triple glazing it performs as well as it looks, proof that a smaller footprint need not mean compromising on comfort. It took a Resene Colour Award alongside its housing win.
RTA Studio’s Two Sheds, near Arrowtown, made architecture from the familiar form of the rural corrugated-iron shed. The jury credited the careful handling of cladding and window details, resolved with clarity and precision, while inside the plan centres on a large circular fireplace beneath oversized exposed timber beams. A second shed holds the bedrooms and a generous lounge, linked to the main living space across a sheltered courtyard.
The Alterations and Additions category rewarded work on existing homes. Crosson Architects won for the reworking of a house on a prime Lake Hayes site, a full reclad in local schist that modernised the home while tying it firmly to its setting. Pointy Flat House by Chaney and Norman Architects at Hāwea Flat was also recognised.
The rest of the housing field ran deep, from a cluster of Arrowtown winners including Courtyard House by Anna-Marie Chin Architects to Rare Earth in Wānaka and Māori Point Road House out at Tarras. Across them ran a consistent strength, homes shaped by a careful read of sun, wind and site, and built to sit comfortably in a landscape of cold winters and bright, dry summers.
In the Small Project category, Sharlene Browning’s Bragato Way Residence in Cromwell, profiled in full elsewhere in this issue, took an award alongside Aluume Spa in Queenstown. Orchard House by Fearon Hay Architects in Queenstown collected the housing category’s second Resene Colour Award.
Jury convenor Andrea O’Connor, of Oakley Gray Architects, said the volume and quality of residential entries reflected a rethink of how people want to live. “The work quality has been exceptionally high, showcasing meticulous attention to detail, technical precision, and thoughtful design,” she said.
O’Connor was joined on the jury by Lianne Cox of Studio Pacific Architecture, Regan Hall of McCoy and Wixon Architects, and Ben Hudson of Ben Hudson Architects.
The takeaway for anyone building in the district runs right through the winners. Design for the climate rather than around it, let a compact, well-insulated footprint do the work of a larger one, and lean on materials that belong to the place. On these sites, that trio does more for a home than square metres ever will.
