A waterfront home, designed by W2 Architecture and Structural Engineers and built by GB Construction, combines coastal style, energy efficiency and functionality – in perfect harmony.

WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Mick Stephenson

The exterior plaster by Properly Plastered is Resene Construction Systems Integra with a Rockcote Cerano finish.

The triple-glazed high-performance aluminium windows and doors in this home by Weathershield Windows and Doors provide a full width thermal core and come with multi-point locking to ensure a secure and thermally efficient system.

For the homeowners of this spacious seaside residence, getting every detail right was a priority. The retired couple was already familiar with the trials and triumphs of constructing a new house, having previously built two homes in different locations. In a sense, this project was the crème de la crème of all their learnings along the way.

“As we’re growing older, our needs are changing,” says the homeowner. “But our goal to get a warm, healthy and high-performance home remains steadfast.”

So much so, the homeowner spent extensive time and energy researching the best possible solutions to realise the dream. The brief included the need to incorporate some passive house principles such as airtightness, above-code insulation, a sealed thermal envelope and a ventilation system that includes a heat exchanger. This involved seeking out windows that could be made 2.7m tall with a significant thermal break, eliminating air leaks. On top of these energy-efficient and cost-efficient measures, the couple wanted to future- proof the home with a lift and accessibility features.

“Our whole reason for building here is that we wanted to live on the flat,” says the homeowner. “We wanted to shift from the hill and be able to walk to the shops easily and ride our bikes.”

After much seeking, the couple secured themselves a 607sqm section on the waterfront in Redcliffs in Otautahi Christchurch. After eyeing a design they liked nearby, they set about working with Matt Wilkie, architecture director at W2 Limited.

“Matt came to the site and actually got up onto the roof [of the existing house] to look at how he could maximise the vista and make the most of the section,” says the homeowner. This impressed the couple, and so Matt set about with his design process.

“I knew this would be a tough but exciting brief to execute,” says Matt. “It’s a magnificent site with the opportunity to create an amazing experience for the clients. We wanted to develop an intimacy not only with the ever-changing flow of the estuary but also with the abundant birdlife and the stream of walkers, joggers, bikes and dogs passing by on the coastal pathway.”

Matt knew that to achieve this he needed to draw on the strength of W2. “We could take the grand architectural vision and use our engineering expertise to achieve the brief, despite the limitations created by the narrow site, within the flood hazard management area and on TC3 zoned land.

“We wanted the living area as high as possible and as close to the estuary as we could, to give the connection we were seeking. I worked side by side with our in-house structural engineering director Stuart Winterbourn at W2 to design a robust and economical cantilevered structure. This enabled us to float the upper floor living area as close to the water as possible creating a desirable and unique perspective,” says Matt.

“We also set about designing an equally special experience when entering the dwelling. You arrive to ascend a 6mm thick, curved blackened steel sculptural staircase that wraps an equally beautiful custom light fixture. This stair is a work of art in its own right and it required extensive 3D modelling to realise the vision.”

Matt worked closely with Mike from GB Construction all the way through this project. It’s a relationship that has been in place between the two companies for some time.

Says Mike: “We came in early in the project to price the job and make adjustments to suit the homeowners. Our first job was to remove the existing home that was on the property. It had some asbestos in it, so we needed to work carefully with our subcontractors to ensure it was disposed of correctly.”

As the build progressed, the homeowner was often on-site to monitor progress and help with on-the-fly decisions. One of the biggest challenges of the build was the inclusion of that impressive self-supporting steel stairway.

“We had to dissemble the roof and crane it into place from above and then reassemble the roof afterwards,” says Mike. “It was quite a challenging job, but that’s the sort of thing we specialise in. We make sure all the details line up so that the home looks stunning. For us, our team makes sure that bathrooms and kitchens, in particular, are showstoppers – we love getting the attention to detail spot on.”

The finished waterfront home is outstanding. The ultra-modern two-storey home, with clean lines and plenty of windows on the north and east sides, is spacious and very functional. The tactile, approachable interiors are created by deliberately contrasting textured finishes and refined detailing.

The generous 10 x 10m living area on the first floor incorporates a kitchen, living, dining and lounge area. It gives the feeling of different zones comfortably co- existing within the ample space. And the more you look, the more of these high-quality details you can see.

For instance, the garage has been designed to house an 8m-long campervan, so it has a 3.7m-high ceiling, and the total garage is 99sqm. In addition, all the amenities in the garage – such as the heat exchanger, lift unit and hot water cylinder – have been designed to sit above the floodplain height.

Upstairs, the colour palette is neutral and warm, and even the curtain tracks have been recessed into the ceiling to create a seamless look and feel to the home. As the homeowner says, “It’s the negative detailing that I’ve been gradually enjoying as we are living in the home.”

The three-bedroom (plus study) 380sqm home highlights the ever-changing estuary views as well as the hill views to the west. The design also includes a cleverly situated upper courtyard, that encompasses the sea views while also providing shade from the prevailing easterly winds and accessing plenty of afternoon sun.

“It’s a great spot for the grandchildren,” says the homeowner. “They can play out there and use the spa pool and the adults can still keep an eye on them from inside.”

Another favourite spot for the homeowners is the seating area by the sea-facing windows. “We’re
at the same level as the birds flying by,” she says. “We can watch the locals fishing here, and we feel close enough to acknowledge them but far enough away to have our privacy.”

It’s fair to say the homeowners are delighted with the home, having moved in just five months ago. “The architectural designer and the builder have done such an incredible job,” says the homeowner. “When it came time to mark any defects, we couldn’t find any. It was just flawless.”