Location: Albert Street, Auckland City

Status: Completed 2018

The owners of this character building refurbished, strengthened and extended the existing building to occupy and allow for future expansion of their company.

The refurbishment included the upgrade of all structure, new vertical circulation to current standards including a lift, the upgrade of fire systems.

Key demands of the brief included: good natural light, views, floor to ceiling glazing, natural ventilation where possible, floor plates as large as possible and a highly visible building with strong presence.

This project seeked to create identity by way of amplifying the existing building with refurbishment and integrity to its original design. The extension above provides a strong identity in itself to anchor a corner of site with clean lines, sympathetic connection to existing and visual interest.

This building is designed to integrate seamlessly not only onto the platform it resides on, in the form of the existing building, but also to acknowledge and integrate with the surrounding built and un-built environment. It is a building designed to bookend the street corners and create a node point to be viewed from an axis of four view shafts from north, east, south and west directions.

Location:       Queenstown

Status:           Completed 2014

A holiday house on a prominent and exposed site with an outlook over Lake Hayes.  

Location:        Medland’s Beach,

Great Barrier Island

Status:            Completed 2017

Our clients approached us to carry out design and documentation of a new bach for their family of five on a vacant site at Medland’s Beach.  In addition to the bach was a storage requirement for a 4WD and a 6.5m boat. Decks connecting to landscape, roof deck and rooms to take advantage of views where possible. Water tanks, on-site wastewater treatment and solar have also been considered in the design.

The proposed new buildings have monopitched roofs to tie in with the topography of the area and allow the front of the house to hunker down and the back of the house to open up to south light.

This roof form creates a dynamic roofline. Due to the driveway for vehicle and boat trailer access on the western side the house and boatshed is offset on the site towards the eastern boundary as much as possible for maneuverability.

Location:       Te Puna Inlet, Bay of Islands

Status:           Resource Consent

The clients for this project approached Craig Brothers Ltd to carry out design and documentation of a holiday home for their family and friends on a west facing site overlooking the Te Puna Inlet in the Bay of Islands. The site has an existing boatshed and small cottage on the site currently.

The new buildings will include a large boatshed with loft bunkroom, living pavilion and three dedicated bedroom pavilions. Water tanks and on-site wastewater treatment are also considered in the design.

The proposed building platform lies under the canopy of the tea trees and follows the contour of the site at a much lower and more accessible part of the site.

The scale of the project and requirements of the brief meant careful consideration to form, bulk, proportion and landscape are vital. The topography of the site also required a deeper understanding of building layout and connection to landscape. Building platforms are cut into the steep topography with retaining to allow the pavilions to nestle into the environment harmoniously rather than raise above it with significant exposed subfloor structure.

The built forms are split into five distinct pavilions which nestle themselves into the landscape and seamlessly relate to each other with their roof forms. The boatshed, living pavilion and main bedroom pavilion all align horizontally with their roof form and are separated with courtyards where glazed covered walkways provide the umbilical cord to link them. The bedroom pavilions at the rear of these follow the same roof line and are accessed by a meandering walkway up the slope. These bedrooms all continue to have a westerly aspect over the boatshed and living pavilions below.

Location:       Henderson

Status:           Preliminary Design

Craig Brothers Ltd were approach by the Kotuku Trust representatives to look at preparing initial concepts and solutions for a new purpose built Mixed Use Building in Henderson. 

Basement: Carparking

· 1 carpark per apartment

· 12+ carparks for staff required daily

Ground Level: Commercial

· Provide office space for the existing administrative staff

· 8 permanent staff

· 40+ full and part time staff

· Flexible open space for people to carry out activities (art, craft, exercise, workshops) and for staff meetings to occur. A multi-functional space.

· External gardens and green areas

Levels 1 to 3: Apartments

· Accommodation in the form of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments to be used by the people who require supported care and also people from the community as an integrated model

· Minimum of one fully accessible apartment for wheelchair based people.

Location:       Coastal Beach Haven,

Auckland

Status:           Completed 2006

We were presented with a 2500sqm coastal site in Beach Haven with riparian rights and an existing dilapidated house. Orientation is to the west looking toward the Waitakere Ranges with 270 degree views. The site was prone to strong south westerly winds but sat well to the sun with neighbours on the east boundary only. Existing trees were a feature of the site with the intention to subdivide the land into two sites and the first house being situated at the northern end closest to the road.

The new house needed to be a sanctuary big enough to allow for the clients children to come and go yet of a size and style that could easily be maintained by oneself. Versatility of spaces which flow into outdoor rooms were important, whilst always maintaining a sense of site and grounding. A private yet not fully removed space needed to be incorporated for a grand piano. In addition a home theatre, gallery space and double garage were required. The main bedroom was to be kept separate as the only real private sanctuary. Other bedrooms were to be versatile spaces that could have varying uses. Having an assortment of outdoor spaces was important in order to follow the sun, and ensure shelter from the prevailing winds when necessary.

The resulting house is a combination of forms that have distinct yet malleable functions. The garage and bedroom wing are firmly grounded at the top of the site. As the site drops away so does the house. Varying level changes lead one into a sheltered central courtyard from which pivot various spaces. The gallery forms the hinge between the pavilion-like living areas and the more contained bedroom wing. Poised above this is the main bedroom on its own level.

Location:       Taylors Mistake

Status:            Completed 2014

An almost entirely original 23sqm early 1920s bach completely restored.  

Location:       Christchurch

Status:           Under Construction

Design Management with Cequent Projects and Fletcher Construction

New Zealand's first 100% NZ Made Home coming soon.......

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Location:       Queenstown

Status:            Masters Project Completed 2012

A Yoga retreat designed to develop positive connections between architecture and landscape.  

http://www.aro-ha.com/2013/06/first-academic-writing/

Orton Bradley Mill House

Isaac House

Governors Bay School

Shands Emporium

Donald Street Stables

Christchurch Town Hall

Christchurch Cathedral

Orton Bradley Stables and Covered Yards

Kukupa School (Pigeon Bay)

Location:       Various

Status:           Under Construction

Location:       Queen Street, Auckland

Status:            Completed 2015

China based clients asked us to update a dated and restrictive plan to accommodate new kitchen, bathroom and an additional bedroom which was to have a dual purpose as a study. Consideration to views, natural light, a lofty stud height and a rejuvenated modern yet warm interior were required. 

The location of the apartment at the bottom of Queen Street has a north facing aspect with an outlook over Queens Wharf and active waterfront including the harbour and working port.

The existing interior was totally gutted and re-worked to suit a young family who would use this as their city base when visiting from China. A central island structure was developed to contain all the services for ease of pipe reticulation to existing risers and to keep the living and dining areas as clean as possible. This ‘insertion’ contains bathroom, kitchen, laundry and the additional bedroom all on a raised floor. The ceiling of this form cranks up 45 degrees with high level glazing to collect natural light and redirect into these spaces at the rear of the apartment.

Materials are clean and simple with grooved painted ply on the ceiling feature, white painted walls for maximising light transfer and Jarrah timber flooring to the living areas with wool carpets to the bedrooms.         

Location:       Various

Status:           Completed

1. Wilton House, Jenkins Place, Arrowtown

2. Waide Wright House, Bayswater

3. Craig Bach, Pukawa, Lake Taupo

4. Devore Street Apartment, New Kitchen

5. Mackenzie House, Mt Albert

6. Entrican Ave, Remuera, Auckland

Unbuilt and under development .