This outstanding Wakatipu Basin home from Team Green Architects is embedded into the hillside taking in sweeping 360-degree views, with Passive House principles guiding a sustainable lifestyle.

WORDS Shelley Sweeney PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Hartnett

Set in one of the most beautiful landscapes in Aotearoa, Oliver’s Ridge House is a short distance from Arrowtown in Central Otago. This remote abode is neighboured by majestic scenery from The Remarkables mountain range, Coronet Peak, Gibbston Valley vineyards, Arthurs Point and Lake Hayes.

Team Green Architects Siân Taylor and Mark Read took the brief to design this low-energy, sustainable and healthy home for a family with the environment close to their hearts.

Architect Mark is a Central Otago local with a unique connection to this land that used to form part of his grandfather’s farm. “This place is historically very special to our family, and it is where my mother grew up,” says Mark. “So, not only did we have the opportunity to design a beautiful house for great people in a magnificent setting but to install a legacy for the future.”

RUGGED EXTERIOR The Corten steel, local schist stone and concrete of the exterior are at home in the rugged Central Otago landscape.

Partners in life and work, Mark and Siân’s knowledge of the area and its extreme climate were central to their design, as was their focus on Passive House principles. “For us, thermal efficiency in homes needs to go hand in hand with the architecture in New Zealand,” says Siân. This commitment to energy efficiency extends to Siân and Mark’s own neighbouring property, a beautiful two-bedroom passive house and winner in the 2021 New Zealand Architecture Awards.

For this Oliver’s Ridge property, Passive House principles of highly insulated walls and a balanced heat exchange ventilation system were used to create a building suited to the extreme climate while using minimal energy. High air quality, even temperature distribution, low noise levels and reduced heating and cooling costs were all key considerations. The home is insulated above by a warm roof. This places the insulation on top of the structure, covered by a waterproof membrane and a top layer of gravel.

“This was one of the best briefs we’ve ever had,” says Siân, adding that alongside the practical requirements were more holistic ideas. “Modern informality, comfortable rustic elegance, sustainability, a sense of permanence, textural warmth and richness, low maintenance and bespoke elements were all included in the brief.”

The couple with two teenage children wanted a relaxed home with a great flow and flexible living to adapt to their changing needs over time. “It’s a big house that doesn’t feel big,” says Siân of the four-bedroom, 600 square metre home, plus three car garage, built over three levels. Each room enjoys generous proportions and stunning views – the spatial balance and flow have been carefully considered throughout.

The brief included a master suite, which makes up the top level of the house and steps to the upper level of the garden. This calm sanctuary gives the homeowners their own place to relax, close to the heart of the home below, where everyone can be together. The children’s bedrooms with ensuites are just off the main living room, and a guest suite on the lower ground floor houses another private living space.

“The homeowners have exquisite taste and selected the furniture for the home,” says Siân, adding that Team Green provided the architectural interior details such as wall panelling and the bespoke feature pendant in the entrance.

Mark was also involved in the landscape design, using his local knowledge and passion for Central Otago in the plan. This rugged landscape also inspired the home’s exterior of rusty Corten steel and local schist stone.

Thermal efficiency was the biggest challenge in the design of this project. This generously proportioned home required a large amount of structural steel and concrete. “Steel gets in the way of insulation,” says Siân. “It’s a bit like trying to make a commercial car park into a thermally efficient space.” Getting things right with insulation meant drawing on contacts in Europe. In 2016, building a Passive House in New Zealand wasn’t a mainstream choice and many products needed to be imported, including the triple glazed, double Low-E windows.

Hadley Consultants carried out the structural and civil engineering, including concept, preliminary design, detailed design and construction monitoring. Director of Hadley Consultants James Hadley says, “The project involved a high level of complexity, with heavy cladding and mixed materials including in-situ concrete walls and facia concrete. Heavy section Universal Columns were applied as beams to minimise beam depths and downstands into architectural spaces. Offset load paths and cantilever supports together with the use of roof and floor diaphragms to achieve lateral stability all provided interesting structural challenges.”

Following the completion of this energy-efficient home, Team Green Architects’ commitment to Passive House principles has attracted many new clients who recognise the importance of living in a healthy home with a low environmental impact.

Siân says that Passive House construction has become more mainstream in New Zealand in recent years as people have become increasingly aware of ways to reduce their impact on the planet. The number of Passive House building products available in New Zealand has understandably increased, with many triple-glazed Low-E windows now made here along with other materials brought in from Europe and assembled locally.

In response to the recently increased minimum requirement for insulation in the New Zealand Building Code, Siân says, “It’s a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. I left the UK in 2006, and back then, they were ahead of where we are now. So, they’re 16 years ahead of us in their thinking about the environmental impact of energy use in the home and building healthier homes.”

Despite these challenges, Siân and Mark work with a supportive array of consultants and suppliers who share their environmental approach to designing and building homes.

“Collaboration is key to what we do as architects,” says Siân. “We work with a wider team of people who realise that this approach is something New Zealand needs.”

The owners of Oliver’s Ridge House are happy with this light-filled home designed to capture all-day sun with energy efficiency and wellbeing in mind. “Throughout the whole process we felt comfortable in the knowledge that the end result would be exactly what we dreamed, a home that both reflects us, and is a building of substance that fits seamlessly into the landscape.”

021 942 985 | teamgreenarchitects.co.nz

03 450 2140 | hadleys.co.nz