High on a hill
Nestled high on Huntsbury Hill sits this alluring, unique vision in steel, cedar and glass from Peter Dunbar Architectural Design and New View Construction.
WORDS Shelley Sweeney PHOTOGRAPHY Mick Stephenson & Peter Dunbar
ORGANIC INSPIRATION This organically shaped custom light fitting from Faye Williams, reflects Peter’s love of Japanese style and is one of his favourite pieces in the home.
The site, positioned at the end of a long driveway, had never been built on, due to the challenging access. But when the section came up for sale, architectural designer, Peter Dunbar saw the potential. “We were looking for a site to build some investment properties on and in looking at sections for sale, came across this one. It was not appropriate for what we planned but we liked the site so much we canned the idea and decided to build for ourselves,” says Peter. “We lived down in the Beckenham loop and had watched the sun set on this area of the hill.”
The approach to the house is intriguing. All that’s visible at ground level is the beautiful steel-framed glass entrance, with steps leading down into the home and the imposing dark cedar garage with a seamless concealed door. The entrance and garage are a harmonious pair despite their differing inspiration, which sets the scene for the entire property.
A COOL WELCOME A warm welcome to this cool home on Huntsbury Hill.
Peter designed this home for himself and wife Leanne, so it was essential to include both of their design tastes. This presented a challenge as they like two very different styles. Leanne wanted the home to have a steampunk look, using steel and industrial design features. Peter, on the other hand, favours minimalist Japanese architecture. A nature-inspired aesthetic, characterised by wooden materials and a natural colour palette.
Peter approached the brief by looking at where the two styles meet, and his love of steel as a design material helped to bridge the gap. Both aesthetics fit comfortably with black, and the use of panels in Japanese architecture inspired Peter to incorporate black steel-framed panels in the entrance and kitchen.
New View Construction has enjoyed building several Peter Dunbar-designed residential builds over the last few years. Director of New View Construction, Steve Pike, enjoys watching how the process of good design works together with meeting the clients’ needs.
“It’s a collaborative relationship and process between a builder and architectural designer that always has positive outcomes for both, and most importantly, for the client,” says Steve and adds, “With Peter Dunbar as the client, this build was a great example of such a process.”
Like many hill sites, it is positioned for magnificent views – but that can also make it tricky to build on. This one was steep in places, with difficult access, tight boundaries and recession lines, which made it essential to work carefully through the planning rules. It was important that build requirements didn’t compromise the views while still meeting all appropriate construction standards.
WARM GLOW This warm, golden LED strip lighting has been used to great effect throughout the home.
The team at Engco Consulting Engineers worked closely with Peter to design a practical yet cost-effective solution addressing the complexities of the site. The requirement for retaining structures was significantly reduced through the combination of elevated timber and steel subfloor systems, with a partially suspended concrete driveway slab bridging to an elevated garage. The choice of traditional structural design techniques and materials all contribute towards ensuring the longevity of the home and its ability to withstand the elements of the seismic environment in which it sits.
Steve at New View Construction enjoyed the collaborative, problem-solving process, working closely with Peter. While the team were building to consented plans, they also needed to be open-minded and innovative to create bespoke elements which reflected Peter and Leanne’s artistic eye.
STEEL APPEAL The stunning feature stairs and wall panels are made from hot-rolled steel, treated with lanolin and a CRC rub.
VERSATILE MATERIAL The hot-rolled steel also features on the custom bathroom vanity and on the roller door that separates the two multi-functional rooms.
One of the bespoke design elements started with an idea from Leanne to include a steampunk-inspired wheel mechanism somewhere in the home. Peter came up with the idea of building the television into a moveable wall that can be turned to face either the living room or kitchen. When it’s turned towards the kitchen, it can also be seen from the deck. Their good friend Dave Hillman took the idea and handcrafted all of the mechanisms needed.
Outdure supplied the decking for the home. Peter has specified Outdure on many projects because it looks like a freshly oiled hardwood timber deck with the extra benefits of low maintenance properties, durability and dimensional stability. ResortDeck has superior UV protection, fade and mould resistance and is splinter and nail-free. The boards do not leech, so there is no need for staining, oiling or painting. The core is 95 per cent recyclable materials, encased in UltraShield to protect from moisture.
Peter designed the kitchen and sourced all of the materials. The team at Tower Kitchens and Joinery installed the kitchen and enjoyed the input from Peter. He is incredibly happy with the work they did on his pivoting bamboo dining tabletop. Peter’s brief was to have the tabletop slide seamlessly under the counter when not in use. “The biggest challenge”, explains Peter, “was getting the height of both the counter and tabletops right for seating.” The fact that you can enjoy views across from the dining table was all part of the plan.
The home has three bedrooms, but since their grown-up children had already moved out, Peter and Leanne have made the two unused bedrooms into multi-functional spaces. A large sliding steel door separates the two rooms but can be opened out to create an extra living area. One of the rooms has a bed built into the wall that can be pulled down to transform it into a bedroom when friends and family come to stay.
The Architectural Roofing Company assisted with the profile selection, layout possibilities and detailing to complement the overall design objectives for the Huntsbury home. They used TARC Snaplock in Colorsteel Flaxpod as it’s a cost-effective tray cladding in pre-painted steel. This offers the detailing and customisation to achieve the desired attention to detail. In so doing, they have achieved consistency with the layout of the trays, while respecting the constraints of the building.
The experienced team at Canterbury Frames and Trusses were brought in by Peter to supply the precut, prenail frames, trusses and loose timber, which was solid pine timber. The challenges with site access were overcome by taking their time to deliver the timber in several smaller loads. Getting the timing right with the other site deliveries was crucial and well managed by Peter and the rest of the contractors.
Peter’s creative approach followed through in all areas of the home. Having worked with JWB Electrical and Heat Pumps on many previous projects, he knew they would be adept at taking on the job of designing a concealed electrical socket in the unique kitchen island. The team worked onsite to make bespoke fittings for the job. Their attention to detail and craftsmanship is present throughout the home with the feature strip lighting on the kitchen island and stairs.
The aluminium windows and doors, which form a big part of the overall design of the project, were manufactured and installed by Nulook Canterbury Windows and Doors. Peter and Leanne chose the Altus Weathertight suite with the Malta hardware in Matt Flaxpod colour due to its exceptional performance in very high wind zones. The multi-directional sliding door in the dining room was a prominent feature for the open plan living area. The team also designed the stunning black steel entry frame and panel.
For Peter, being both designer and client for this home has been a career highlight, allowing him the freedom to execute his ideas while bringing together his dream list of materials and tradespeople.
Peter and Leanne love watching the shimmering lights of Christchurch from their living room at night. “It’s my favourite part of the house. It’s the view from that room, across the city, that made this happen,” says Peter.
INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Peter Dunbar Architectural Designer
03 331 6026
peterdunbar.co.nz
BUILDER
New View Construction Limited
027 589 2700
newviewconstruction.co.nz
ENGINEERING
Engco Consulting Engineers
03 366 7955
engco.co.nz
TILES
Brymac Tiles Ltd
03 366 8187
brymactiles.co.nz
DECKING
Outdure
0800 77 88 77
outdure.co.nz
KITCHEN AND JOINERY
Tower Kitchens & Joinery
03 338 7846
towerkitchens.co.nz
CLADDING
The Architectural Roofing Company
03 335 0462
tarc.co.nz
FRAMES AND TRUSSES
Canterbury Frames & Trusses Ltd
03 347 1100
cantruss.co.nz
ELECTRICAL
JWB Electrical & Heat Pumps
027 565 1196
jwbelectrical.co.nz
WINDOW JOINERY
Nulook Canterbury Windows & Doors
03 389 6466
nulookcanterbury.co.nz
