ADA News

The ADA News features newly completed Projects, building design ideas and topical news.

ADA News

ADNZ Conference

Peter & Jon recently attended the ADNZ National Conference held at Te Papa from 26-29 October.

The theme of conference was “Our People, Our Place, Our Architecture”.

An excellent range of speakers discussed this in depth, including:

Te Radar – social commentator and comedian on celebrating where ‘kiwi’ architecture began
Douglas Lloyd- Jenkins – art & architecture historian and author on identifying what defines NZ architecture
Tony van Raat – architect and Unitec lecturer on what the future of architecture and our built environment may look like.

We also had a presentation from Jade Kirk – structural engineer about the effects on buildings from the Christchurch earthquake.

There were three excellent site visits:

Waterfront walk and lecture hosted by Gerald Blunt
Tour of the Dept of Conservation building which was a refurbishment of the old Mid City Theatre complex into a world class Green Star rated facility
Visit to Futuna Chapel– one of NZ’s most iconic and fascinating pieces of architecture

Two evening session also celebrated the best in architecture and design:

The first was a “Pecha Kucha” style presentation where 6 speakers each showed 20 slides of their work
The second was the gala dinner and National Awards presentation. The quality of work submitted was outstanding and the winners were true examples of architectural excellence

Once again we left conference feeling inspired to continue providing and developing quality architectural design for all our clients.

Posted by on 11th November, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: ADNZ

Bishops Vineyard

ALLENSON HOUSE

This lifestyle sub division has a delightful setting amongst vineyards, native Totara stands and sits adjacent to the Ohau river. It includes a community village green. The covenants on the properties include stringent rules on the style of house to ensure a style sympathetic to the idyllic rural setting. The houses must also encompass significant sustainable and energy efficient principals.

This house has a look derived from the traditional NZ Farmhouse, exemplified by the use of gable roofs and verandah's. The walls are primarily Timbercrete solid blocks which achieve a cob cottage feel, both inside and out. This product is manufactured from waste sawdust in Rotorua and is formulated into solid 250mm blocks that provide good insulation in addition to thermal mass storage. The gable walls and separate barn are clad in traditional ply and batten. Due to the passive solar design, the house requires minimal heating which is provided by a high efficiency woodburner. The home also uses a high efficiency heat pump hwc, collects its own rain water and is on a waste water treatment system.

View more images in our gallery section.

Posted by on 13th October, 2011 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: Bishops Vineyard, Ohau, Designing Sustainable Houses, Timbercrete

Good Design Lasts

KAREKARE ROAD | RAUMATI SOUTH

This Raumati South house was built in 2002 and is a perfect example of how good design lasts. It continues to mature not only with the landscaping but by being inhabited.

This house features:

4 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms
Apartment style living with sensational views
a Kauri Staircase and Matai flooring
Polystyrene cladding
Underfloor heating

View more photos in our gallery section.

Posted by on 29th September, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: House Design, Landscaping

AD ARCHITECTURE & CO

As any homeowner will tell you, buildings are so much more than bricks and mortar. Your home is a reflection of your personality and somewhere where you can comfortable and secure. Houses are a central part of our lifestyle – a place where we raise our children; measuring their growth on a door frame, building a tree house and a sandpit in the backyard. They’re the places we enjoy for peace and quiet as well as entertaining, and as we get older, tending to the vegetable garden and babysitting the visiting grandchildren.

Buildings such as shops, community centers and libraries are equally loved. Each has a personality, charm and a hive of good memories.

Designing quality buildings around the greater Wellington area and beyond is AD Architecture, a company set up by Peter Davis and Jon Ambler three and a half years ago. The new practice combined the resources of the two partners well established existing businesses. Based in the Kapiti Coast, it now has seven staff.

“Combining them was a thought we’d both had at the same time. It just made sense for the local area – there were no medium sized practices here but there was lots of potential with demand for quality residential design and larger scale commercial and community projects coming up in the next 10 - 15 years. We knew if we established our capability then we would be well positioned to handle some of these exciting projects.”

AD Architecture is looking to the future in other ways. Peter and Jon are passionate about appropriate sustainable and eco design, as Peter explains.

“It makes sense really. Locally, Nationally and Globally - we can’t keep going as we have been. New Zealanders have been building houses that are unnecessarily large, wasteful and unsustainable. The sooner we can produce buildings of a realistic scale that incorporate well-chosen materials and technology the better off we will be.

“Building costs are going up, as are the costs to the environment.”

Both Peter and Jon have recently qualified as Homestar practitioners. The Homestar scheme was introduced 18 months ago as a residential rating tool to assess the performance of homes in a totally holistic way

Homestar assessors, such as Peter and Jon, can visit clients who want their homes renovated or built and tell them how they can go about making them more sustainable. Houses can reach ratings between 1 and 10.

“From a new property’s point of view you can design to suit the rating you’re trying to achieve. I believe this will soon develop momentum in public’s eye.”

AD Architecture also works closely with Heart of Green, a company started by Denise Davis, Peter’s wife. Denise independently assesses homes and determines a number of measures to provide for a healthier home and way of life, along with options to make it more sustainable and cheaper to heat..

“Sustainable homes will develop further in the near future, Jon predicts.

“There’s a lot of scope, and we are already seeing signs that the public are embracing the principles of more sustaibale design. Ten years ago people would have looked at you funny for wanting to use green design – now it’s taken much more seriously.

“The Eco design industry is starting to show how well designed, energy efficient homes save money in the long term. A new approach to whole life costing needs a buy-in from the public as the payback period won’t be immediate – typically higher capital costs will have a payback period of around seven years, and thereafter will be significantly cheaper to run”

AD Architecture’s future goals are to stay local.

“We’d like to really become an integral part of the local region, in terms of being the first place that people come to for a design. Whether it’s big business or smaller residential customers, we value each and every client and commssion.”

AD Architecture works closely with other local companies to build the structures it designs. Creating these buildings lies in the hands of B&K Developers, North Face Construction and Hanna Construction.

B&K

Recently B & K Developers has constructed a number of homes for clients in the new Rosetta Cove subdivision, Raumati. These are high end homes noted for their diverse architecture, designed by Peter Davis of AD Architecture.

B & K Developers works with each of its clients from the design stage in consultation with AD through to completion. Each home is tailored to the wish list and budget of each family.

B & K Developers is involved in the process from the start – from looking at the site and location to fully discussing what the clients’ wants and needs for their home are. There are no sets of plans to choose from, each house is individually designed for the client, which Peter Davis says “is much easier than fiddling around with standard plans which usually don't work anyway.”

Peter says he has had a long and successful working relationship with B&K, since the company first began.

“Working as team in a design and build approach has allowed us to provide a very efficient, cost competitive service with exceptional results,”

“The B& K commitment to ensuring that the client is completely satisfied has led to many very happy home owners.”

North Face Construction

AD Architecture designed Chris and Leonie Beggs’ showhome.

“I’ve known Jon and Peter a long time, I like their work,” Chris Beggs says.

“We had our own ideas and other people’s ideas and AD Architecture were the ones that could pull that together and get it all to work.

“ I really enjoy working with ADA because they are approachable, relaxed but efficient – our plans didn’t have one query going through council. I really like their self-explanatory plans, I enjoy building off them.”

Jon Ambler says the ADA team greatly enjoyed designing North Face’s showhome a couple of years ago, as well as the other projects AD and North Face have collaborated on in the past.

“Chris is a really good builder; he’s got an eye for detail and makes excellent suggestions. It’s good to have a builder on board who is really driven – he always has the best interests of a project at heart.”

Jon is pleased with how the house is looking.

“ It looks modern, stylish and contemporary – I think we and Chris have shown that a sustainable house doesn’t mean a boring or weird house which some people might think.

“It’s really sustainable and their goal is to take it off the grid, which is a great achievement for a suburban house.”

Hanna Construction

One of the companies Hanna has a strong partnership with is AD Architecture.

“In the 30 odd years I’ve been in business I’d say we’d find them the one of the best architectural companies we’ve ever been involved with. They’re great people, no nonsense and professional with great vision. We find our clients speak highly of them. Why would you want to skimp on the initial design process when you are dealing with your main asset?” Hanna says.

“We’re on the end of the process with the client – and when there’s good communication between ADA and the customer and the project is all consented and ready to go, then our job is easy.

A recent job ADA and Hanna worked on together was adding a triple car garage with an upstairs studio and a link above to the main house in Roseneath.

“The team at ADA had a lot of foresight for this difficult job. The access was tricky, it was an extremely difficult site geographically,” Hanna says.

This extension will be entered in next year’s Master Builders Awards. The house, built seven years ago by Hanna Construction, won a silver medal back then. And still looks as good as it did then with the current owners adding their personal touches.

ADA and Hanna have also worked on a number of home refurbishments lately, including completely modernising some historic houses.

“ADA has a great feel for historic redesigns and new homes alike,” Hanna says.

Peter Davis from AD Architecture has worked with Hanna for more than ten years, when he had his own practice and now as part of the ADA team.

“Due to the thoroughly professional manner in which John approaches projects, he has won several tenders and is often selected by clients ahead of other firms for negotiated tender or design and build projects,” he says.

“John has the capability to fully understand the client’s vision and also provide valuable insights during the construction phase to always achieve a great result. The quality of work is always superb from both the building team and their loyal sub contactors.”

Posted by on 22nd September, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: AD Architecture Limited, Energy Efficient Homes, Homestar, North Face Construction, Hanna Construction, B&K

Loud Shirt Day

AD Architecture participated in Loud Shirt today.

This day was in support of 2 charities - The Hearing House and The Southern Cochlear Implant programme.

We thought they deserved our support and therefore we dressed accordingly and raised some money from our staff and supporters.

For more information visit www.loudshirtday.org.nz

Or to make a donation http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/ADArchitecture/

Posted by A.x on 16th September, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: Loud Shirt Day

WHRS Remedial Design

When finding yourself in the stressful position of owning a “leaky” home the very last thing that you should do is do nothing. The problem will not go away and trying to hide it with a view to selling off the problem to someone else is not an answer either as there is a strong possibility that it could come back to bite you in the future.

There is generally also no cheap and easy fix for a building that has these problems. The best advice that we can give a home owner in this situation is align yourself with professionals who know what they are doing and can give you the best possible advice and also to do it once and do it right.

The starting point in most cases would be to contact a Registered Building Surveyor to discuss your concerns and arrange a weathertightness survey – www.buildingsurveyors.co.nz .

An independent Building Surveyor needs to be involved right through the duration of the project to provide advice initially on the documents and then on-site. They would also be required to advise on the removal of decayed timber and the any treatment of materials that are considered suitable to remain in place. Designers and even Building Inspectors are usually not able to provide this kind of advice partly due to potential liability issues and also partly due to the specialist nature of the work.

Another consultant that can prove to be extremely useful not only at the beginning and during construction but also at the end of the process is an Quantity Surveyor experienced in remedial work. This is particularly useful on more complex projects or projects which are going to court or adjudication where the costs need to be scheduled professionally and correctly to help reduce the disputable items in the claim.

This is the first part in a series of blogs to come on general leaky building advice.

Posted by Jon on 1st September, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: Building Surveyor, Leaky Building Syndrome, WHRS, Weathertight Design, Remedial Design, House Re-cladding

New ADNZ Website

The new ADNZ website is up and running with new features:

Comprehensive information about the association history and ethics, and why you would use an ADNZ member

Search tool to find designers and view their profile and examples of their work.

A Green Zone page promoting sustainable design and answering some questions you might have been asking yourself

A Media page featuring published articles featuring ADNZ members and their work.

An image gallery of award-winning designs

View Peter’s profile and Homestyle feature.

View Jon’s profile

View the ADNZ website

Posted by on 26th August, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
Tags: ADNZ, Homestyle Magazine

Sustainability and you

Peter and I have been debating how best to help generate the same sort of interest and excitement out there in the public domain that we have both developed over sustainable design and it's integration into day to day house design.

While we have always had the interest and have been developing our individual knowledge prior to completing the Homestar Practitioner training a few weeks ago, we have found that our passion towards this emerging technology has certainly increased and we genuinely believe that this is the next “big thing” within the NZ building industry.

It is important for people to understand that this is not a fad or passing craze and you don’t need to be a full blown “greenie” to buy into it – goodness knows I’m not! Even if you aren’t a “greenie” there are basic things that we can all do that can even help an existing house become more sustainable and by making it more sustainable you are naturally not only making it a nice environment for you and your family to live in but a by-product is that you are also making it less expensive to run.

Also bear in mind that home sustainability does not only mean expensive items like heating, thermal performance and carbon footprints it also incorporates smaller less expensive things that every homeowner should be considering incorporating into their home or section and by doing so they are also working towards generating higher Homestar rating.

Composting facilities (internal and external storage)

Recycling and waste collection facilities (internal and external storage)

Planting fruit trees / vines

Vegetable garden

Planting trees and plants that are “local” natives (local councils have information)

Check with your local council over rates credits or loans for installing on-site water collection tanks

Install swales or other on-site water harvesting systems to contain storm water runoff on-site

Change light bulbs to energy efficient versions

Wrap your hot water cylinder and pipes

Change shower heads and taps to water efficient models

Ensure that your sub-floor in correctly insulated

Install polythene to sub-floor soil to help prevent rising damp.

I hope that these suggestions are of some help. If you read this and discover that you have a burning desire to find out more or would like us to check out your house (or design you a new one) to see how Homestar may work for you please do not hesitate to contact us.

Posted by Jon on 19th August, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Wellington Master Builders Awards

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AWARDS NIGHT....

On Friday 5th August Peter and Jon attended the 2011 Placemakers Wellington Master Builders Awards evening at the Amora Hotel in Wellington. As it turned out 2011 was one of the biggest years in terms of AD Architecture projects entered into various categories.
The following is a list of the winners:
Gold Award & Category Winner - Builders Own Home
- Barber Construction for Barber house in Pukerua Bay
Gold Award - New Homes $350,000 - $450,000
- David Reid Homes (Kapiti) Limited for McWatters house in Lower Hutt
Bronze Award - New Homes $450,000 - $600,000
- David Reid Homes (Kapiti) Limited for Dolphin house in Upper Hutt
Bathroom Excellence Award
- Barber Construction for Barber house in Pukerua Bay
Interior Style and Design Award
- Barber Construction for Barber house in Pukerua Bay

It must be noted that Heather Thorley of Colour Options was involved for the final two interiors awards for Barber Construction listed above.

There was another two projects entered that unfortunately did not receive any awards.

Congratulations to all the building companies who entered their projects. Speaking from experience, it is a hard thing to present your work to your peers but the positives usually far outweigh the negatives.

Posted by Jon on 8th August, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Professional Development

HOMESTAR PRACTITIONERS

Last week Jon and Peter attended a Homestar training seminar as part of their on-going professional development and interest in sustainable design. They will soon be registered Homestar Practitioners, qualified to provide advice when you are making decisions about home design and attributes that contribute to the comfort, health and performance of your home.

They can guide you on good environmental design to maximise the performance of your new home or renovation and help you get the appropriate Homestar rating. They know how to make a home warm and comfortable, provide a healthy living environment, use resources such as water and energy efficiently, and how to make a home cost you as little as possible to run.

Homestar is based on a 10 star rating system where 10 stars is the highest score. Factors that affect the Homestar rating system include:

Site
Materials
Lighting
Heating
Water heating
Insulation
Moisture
Water
Waste
Safety and security
Planting and gardens

Learn more about Homestar and use the self-assessment online tool to find out how well your home is performing.

Posted by A.x on 31st July, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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ADNZ Wellington Design Awards

ITJESHORST HOUSE | TE HORO

We are happy to announce that our entry for the Itjeshorst House in Te Horo, is a finalist in the Residential Alterations category.

The owners’ existing house needed a lot of maintenance work, and as a result of several extensions, also had a dysfunctional layout.

Our brief was to renovate the building up to current (or better) code requirements, create better living spaces and circulation, connect with the outdoors, and modernise the decor and cladding.

Our approach was to create an atrium style new entrance and stair that invited visitors to the house and created a central circulation space between the bedrooms, garage and living area. The removal of the existing stair allowed the upstairs to be opened up as a living area, which fully realised the potential of the magnificent views and daylight. A rebuilt deck with careful placement on the undulating site connects the upstairs living to the outside whilst retaining the advantages of being elevated. The new bedrooms also have a lovely aspect opening out to the sheltered courtyard.

Sustainable features include above code insulation, centrally placed fire with heat transfer ducting, solar capable hot water cylinder and rainwater storage for irrigation and back up supply to house (to supplement the existing bore water)

View more photos of the Itjeshorst House.

Posted by A.x on 22nd July, 2011 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks | Permalink
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New David Reid Showhome

87 MOUNT MARUA WAY | UPPER HUTT

The new David Reid Showhome is a sophisticated and contemporary house with a beautiful view in Upper Hutt. It includes 4 bedrooms + a study area, an open plan living area as well as a formal lounge and a double garage.

The house is cleverly designed so that first floor [consisting of the master bedroom which opens up to a deck , a walk-in wardrobe, an en-suite and a gallery area] provides a private haven, centrally accessible, but disconnected from the kids zone and living areas.

While the private areas are clearly distinct from the living areas, the house has been designed to spread out on the site and engage with the surroundings. The contrasting elements of vertical shiplap weatherboards v/s plaster render system and parapets v/s pitched eaves, highlighted with delightful pergolas and patios nested in the structure, the showhome is pleasantly designed for a modern lifestyle.

The showhome additionally features:

Polished concrete flooring
Highly insulated walls and ceilings and in-slab floor heating
Double glazed windows
Instant gas hot water system
Sound insulated bedrooms
Separate WC and laundry room
Raking ceilings to kitchen and family areas

Contact David Reid Homes for more information.

Posted by A.x on 8th July, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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An Alternative Source of Energy

SOLAR ENERGY

Solar energy is an abundant energy source which is free, non-polluting, and renewable. The number of New Zealand home owners profiting from the installation of solar panels is growing rapidly every year, and AD Architecture promotes its use.

Yesterday afternoon Dennis Aarø from Gaia Solar introduced the company and their products to us and to the local ADNZ group.

Gaia Solar Energy is Scandinavia’s largest company within the field of building integrated solar modules that produce electricity. They focus on the fast growing market for building integrated solar electricity, where the photovoltaic modules aesthetically form the roof and walls of the building itself i.e they become part of the design of the building rather than an after-thought.

More information can be obtained from their website.

From the presentation we can deduce the pros and cons of their solar modules.

Pros:

Free power (once it’s been paid off) + generates income if an electricity provider buys back the surplus electricity you are producing
Environmentally friendly and quiet to run
Will last for 40+ years (with a warranty of 25 years), and once they stop working they remain part of the design
Reduces the double up cost of building materials as it is the roof/cladding material compared to the traditional installation of solar panels on top of the roof material

Cons:

Expensive to install – estimated at around NZ$28,000 for their 3kW system
Payback time is project –dependent and can vary from 5-20 years.
Not NZ designed or manufactured
Efficiency depends on the location of the sun

You can also check out the EECA’s solar programme and funding here.

Posted by A.x on 1st July, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Ever thought that it won't happen to you!

WEATHERTIGHT REMEDIAL DESIGN

Before the early 2000's, terms like WHRS, Weathertight Remedial Design, cavity cladding systems and the emotionally charged subject of the "Leaky Building Syndrome" never came into the conversations around building a new home or building. Now, nearly ten years on it comes into almost all project brief meetings as one of the most important things on the build list..."we don't want one that leaks!"

The New Zealand Building Industry in this time has been steadily building momentum in terms of these repair projects coming on-line. It is predicted that over the next 2-4 years, as we come to the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Building Act 2004 which brought us the 10 year 'long stop' limitation period, the industry will be busier than ever remediating a swag of pre-2004 projects.

One positive thing to come out of what has been a terrible situation was the complete review of the NZ Building Code and the significant increase of minimum code requirements resulting in treated framing, cavity systems, risk analysis etc becoming pretty much mandatory on all new building after 2004.

Like a lot of industry professionals, AD Architecture have become involved in some weather tightness remediation projects over the last few years. The experience and knowledge gained from this involvement along with our significant existing in-house design and construction experience has helped us in developing the tools to advise clients through this very stressful process.

In my opinion the first thing that a home owner should do if they suspect that their house or building has a leaking issue is to contact people with relevant experience to help you initially diagnose the problem and then make recommendations about how to move forward from there. An experienced building surveyor is usually the best place to start and preferably a member of the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors.

Whatever you do, do not leave it as this may affect your chances of having your claim accepted further down the road notwithstanding the potential for even further damage to occur if the problem or problems are left.

A great book to read on the subject from someone who has been through the whole harrowing process from the homeowners perspective is Yvonne van Dongen's "How to Survive a Leaky Home - Risks, Remedies and Repairs" which can be purchased from the Mighty Ape website.

Posted by Jon on 23rd June, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Homestar Rating

RESENE, HOMESTAR & YOU

Last Wednesday Jon attended a Designing and Rating Seminar run by Resene which featured presentations from leading expert Dr Paul Bannister and Matthew Cutler-Welsh on the latest update on the Residential Rating Tool - Homestar™.

Features of Paul's presentation:

Design rating systems vs performance in commercial buildings, including a discussion of NABERS vs Green Star and key lessons from each.
Design rating systems vs performance in homes - and why it’s different, including lessons from NABERS and the development of NABERS Homes.
Comfort vs energy efficiency in homes - why ‘efficient’ buildings may actually use more power - but have healthier occupants.

Matthew Cutler-Welsh , brought us up to date with the latest news on the Homestar™ Residential Rating Tool and its application in New Zealand. Matthew is the Technical Manager for Homestar™ and intimately involved with the application of the rating tool in New Zealand homes. Matthew has a degree in Natural Resources Engineering and has focused his studies on energy and environmental sustainability. He is experienced in leading teams of residential assessors working within the New Zealand energy efficiency retrofit market and has also managed a 600 home sustainability program in Melbourne, Australia.

Homestar™ is a residential rating tool for standalone homes and aims to be the primary measurement of best practice home performance in New Zealand. Matthew’s presentation provided an update on the development and process of the Homestar™ certified tool and discussed ways to incorporate Homestar™ into residential design services.

Following the seminar Peter and Jon have signed up to do the next training course on the 27th of July to become Homestar™ Professionals. This will enable them to ensure that appropriate sustainability features are considered during the design and documentation phases to achieve the client desired rating level for the finished dwelling.

An initial on-line "self"assessment can be undertaken on properties either existing or proposed by going to http://www.homestar.org.nz/

BUILDNZ / DESIGNEX 2011

On the 27th of June 2011 Peter and Jon will be heading north to check out the latest happenings at this years Buildnz | Designex expo which combines the very best from the worlds of building, construction, architecture, interior design, engineering and all the associated trades - all in one top-shelf show.

This is the first time that either Peter or Jon have ever been up to this event so it will be interesting to see some of the new ideas and products that have come on to the market.

ADNZ National Office will also have a stand at the expo to promote the organisation so drop by and say hi if you're in the Auckland area and have the time.

Check it out at http://www.buildnz.com

Posted by Jon on 16th June, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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A very sustainable Happy Birthday to us!

AD ARCHITECTURE CELEBRATES

Three years to the day since the doors closed on the offices of Peter Davis Architecture and JONA Architectural Design, AD Architecture celebrates it's Birthday with a staff "fush and chup" lunch on the Paraparaumu foreshore.

During this short timeframe we have all endured a recession which has at times been challenging for most businesses in NZ and abroad and have also seen massive changes in the New Zealand building industry due to the "leaky" building situation.

During this period we have concentrated on establishing great systems within our office and encouraged all the staff at AD Architecture to constantly up-skill themselves on the latest CAD and building industry requirements. We feel that we have created an excellent local architectural option that has the relevant experience with the technological expertise to back it up.

Looking forward, with the World Cup only around the corner, a shortage in housing stock in NZ, the unfortunate situation in Christchurch and more WHRS projects coming on line (again an unfortunate situation) we believe that the NZ building industry could soon be experiencing unprecedented demand that will stretch our limited resources to the limits.

Thanks for your continued support of us.

NEW SHOWHOME FOR NORTH FACE CONSTRUCTION

The last coat of paint is going on, the driveway sealed and the grass repaired for the opening of North Face Construction's new sustainable showhome at Ngarara Road, Waikanae.

The home features;

Digital self heating using solar energy
High insulation levels to walls and ceilings
uPVC double glazed doors and windows
Second level concrete floor and insulated foundations
Designed to use 10% of the energy of a conventional home

The showhome will be open in early July 2011.

AD Architecture is proud to have been involved in such an exciting project and would like to wish Chris and Leonie all the best for the opening.

Modern and sustainable - what a mix!

Posted by Jon on 8th June, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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2011 well underway......

LBP LICENSING
In 2010, both Peter and Jon became LBP (Licensed Building Practitioners). AD Architecture sees this scheme as being very beneficial to the industry in the long term as it will help to provide a confidence boost to potential clients that the industry is listening to consumer concerns and is endeavoring to remove the "cowboy" element that has always been an issue with the NZ building industry.

2011 ADNZ AWARDS
Peter has just completed his entries into this years ADNZ National Design Awards. He has entered three projects, two residential addition and alteration projects and one commercial.

A photo gallery can be viewed on our Facebook site. Please take a look to see some of our latest exciting projects.

2011 ADNZ Design Awards Entry - Itjeshorst Alterations

DAVID REID HOMES NATIONAL PLAN RANGE
Towards the end of 2010 AD Architecture was approached by David Reid Homes National Office to completely revamp their standard plan range. This involved reviewing about 70 possible plans put forward by the various franchise holders, reducing the number down to 40 that fit the outline brief, redesigning them to make improvements and them presenting them in various formats.

We are very proud of what we have achieved and would like to invite you to view the final 3d images on our Facebook page.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS
2010 also saw us become involved in some community based projects. The Kapiti Hockey Pavilion at Mazengarb Reserve has generated a lot of positive comment and starts on site in June 2011. We have worked on a new playcentre for Paraparaumu Playcentre in Hinemoa St which should start on site towards the end of 2011 and also on the Kapiti Community Centre.

Being Kapiti coasters, community based work is very important to us as it gives us an opportunity to positively influence the architectural landscape that we live and work in.

Kapiti Hockey Pavilion

We'll try to keep new posts coming from here on in so keep checking in to see what we're up to.

Posted by Jon on 31st May, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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LBP and new website

Latest News from AD Architecture
Please visit AD Architecture's newly formatted website at www.adarchitecture.co.nz

The website has been designed to be user friendly and provides helpful tools and information about our services and the design process in general. If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact Peter or myself and we will be more than happy to discuss any further questions you may have.

In October we attended the annual 2010 ADNZ National Conference held in Nelson. Yet again this was a fabulous event with informative speakers, the National Design Awards and of course plenty of opportunity to socialise with other members from across the country who we haven't seen for the last year.

The general feeling from other attendees was that the economic climate appears to have improved, with most members appearing to be reasonably busy and with forward work starting to build up again.

Both Peter and Jon have applied to the Department of Building and Housing to become Licensed Building Practitioners. Peter has been approved for a Design 3 license and has been asked to become an assessor. This is great news as it means that AD Architecture are amongst the first in the Wellington region to become approved and again highlights the high standards that AD Architecture constantly achieves.

Posted by Jon on 22nd November, 2010 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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ADNZ National Conference - October 2009

Peter and I have just been to the '09 conference which was held at the Wairakei Resort in Taupo.

We both enjoyed the programmed events...and the additional non-programmed events (golf, tennis etc) with my personal highlight being the Resene Design Awards where I received a finalist award for my Ngaio townhouse project.

Other highlights included:

- meeting up with professional collegues / friends
- mingling with sponsers and learning about new products
- hearing Jonathan Mane-Wheoki's thought provoking presentation
- browsing the display of design award entries (incredible varity and quality)

The ADNZ conference makes up part of our CPD point requirement for professional ADNZ membership and besides which has become an enjoyable annual event for us both to attend.

See ADNZ website www.adnz.org.nz.

Jon

Posted by AD Architecture Limited on 22nd October, 2009 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Eco Block Visit

On Thursday 22nd October ADa staff visited a site in Peka Peka Beach to see firsthand how ECO blocks are used to construct a new house.

ECO Blocks are a polyblock system which is very easy to install by a builder and give a high insulation value of R3.5 min.

They can be used to formed many shapes (including curves) and are very environmentally friendly as they have no CFC's, HCFC's, CO2 or other ozone depleting substances are used or released during manufacturing or construction. 40% of the material used to produce ECO Blocks is recycled.

Once the building is completed you will have a very solid , warm and comfortable home that requires minimal maintenance.

If you are interested in this product and require further information please visit www.eco-blocknz.co.nz.

Posted by AD Architecture Limited on 29th October, 2009 | Comments | Trackbacks | Permalink
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Ferndale Showhome Open

Peter, Jon and Denise attended the opening of the new David Reid Homes - Kapiti showhome on Wed 25th Nov.

This home is rated excellent by the Greenstar accreditation and showcases many eco and sustainable features along with being a great looking house that sits perfectly into its bush reserve setting.

The home is open to the public on Wed - Sun 1pm -3pm.

www.ferndaletrust.co.nz