Albany House

NZIA 2016 Auckland Architecture Awards Winner

This is an addition and alteration to a home on a grand scale. The language of the existing Ron Sang design is carefully maintained while a serious addition and associated landscape component has been planned with micro-accuracy — right down to the imitation sheep in the bush. The sculptural drama of the movie room hovering over a pool is a master stroke and the games room is a playful departure to the formality of the Ron Sang grid. The selection of external materials that move inside and contrast or complement the original home's material palette is lyrical. This is yet another example of the work of a highly skilled architect.
(NZIA Awards Jury)

This was an alteration to a gracious Fairhead/Sang/Carnachan house built on farmland in the East Coast Bays in 1985. The original building had suffered some terrible additions by 2010, the inception time of this project. The Chinese clients wanted a New Zealand base for their family and a conspicuously kiwi home that still referenced their origins. They needed a relaxed background to their life that did not dictate how they lived.

The main rimu lined gables of the original house form the backbone of this project. Natural textures, broken light and fine detail attempt to humanise the scale, as does the vast planting program that utilises many specimens from the previous garden.

Press/Links

https://archipro.co.nz/project/albany-house-alterations-gerrad-hall-architects