Our new cover: An Auckland home by Athfield Architects

Our new issue is out, and should be on newsstands around the country today. It features a photograph by Simon Wilson of an Auckland home by Athfield Architects. The shot was styled by Amelia Holmes (and includes a 'Husk' chair by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia from Matisse, rugs from Studio Italia, a cushion and cloche from Everyday Needs and bookshelves from Studio Italia). 

Pop out and pick up your copy today - we hope you enjoy it. 

 

Canterbury's NZ Institute of Architects' awards

The winners have been announced at the NZ Institute of Architects Awards for the Canterbury region, and one building in particular has won big: Athfield Architects' conversion and redesign of the Christchurch Civic Council Offices and Chambers (both images below) won awards in the categories of Public Architecture, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Planning and Urban Design (for its connections with surrounding buildings and the streetscape). Incidentally, New Zealand Green Building Council chief executive Alex Cutler chose it as her favourite building in our current issue. 

RTA Studio's Black Estate winery at Waipara (below) won a Commercial Architecture award. Photo by Stephen Goodenough. 

This one's in our current issue: Chris Wilson of Wilson & Hill's own family home, winner of a residential award. Photo by Stephen Goodenough. 

This house in Fendalton (below) by Sheppard + Rout Architects also picked up a residential award. Photo by Diederik van Heyningen.

The Buchan Group's Re:START container shopping precinct (below) won an award in the Planning & Urban Design category. It also won a Resene Colour Award. Photo by Murray Hedwig. 

Modern Architecture Partners won a residential award for this house in the Redcliffs area (below). Photo by Lisa Gane.

Christchurch's Court Theatre by Fulton Ross Team Architects (below) won a Public Architecture award. 

Finally, another residential award for Wilson & Hill Architects for the prefabricated Smart House (below). Photo by Stephen Goodenough.

Outtakes - Ian Athfield in Nelson

Architect Ian Athfield doesn't do many houses - these days, his time is mostly occupied with larger projects such as stadiums and apartment towers. But that doesn't mean he's lost his touch: here at Mapua, near Nelson, he has created a fascinating home for Halfdan Hansen and Juliette Fox and their two daughters. The house is featured in our current issue, but we wanted to share some of Simon Devitt's shots of it here that we couldn't fit in our article.

Halfdan told Ath, as he's known, that he wanted a long, villa-like corridor. Ath delivered a more dramatic version of it, with a low, dark ceiling and dark floor. It creates a great feeling of compression when you're in it, making the light-filled spaces off it seem even more compelling.

As you travel down the hallway, every new space comes as a complete surprise. You can see this fishpond (above) out a small window from the hallway. The view below is from Juliette's studio across the pond to the main bedroom.

And this is the view of the house from the street (below), a mysterious object that almost demands to be explored. We hope the coverage of the house in our current issue is enough to satisfy the curious. We thank Juliette and Halfdan for their generosity in allowing us to publish the house, and applaud the creativity and inventiveness of their architect.