Kelburn House I

NZIA Local Award for Architecture 2005

“This well-crafted contemporary addition, with its tall proportions and clerestorey windows, raises the tired eyelids on the back of a traditional Kelburn villa to connect living areas to a landscaped courtyard……to deliver a stunning result.” NZIA Awards Jury, 2005

These additions and alterations to a traditional Kelburn villa connect the upstairs living areas to a private, east facing rear courtyard, and includes new kitchen, family areas, additional bedroom, and a series of landscaped terraces.

In response to the steep sloping bank rising to the east of the property, a new element was inserted into the existing villa, affecting the vertical scale of the interior space to create a stronger connection with this rising topography, while at the same time respecting the original nature of the house.

By utilising a simple and contemporary timber clad form, a dialogue is created between the old and the new elements, with the original corners of the house remaining intact. A second element containing the additional bedroom is conceived as a plastered landscape block that connects the timber clad element to the landscape.

The formality of the original villa plan is carried through to the exterior, by way of a series of steps and plastered terraces that also provide a visual and physical connection with the rear of the property.