+ About Christchurch Modern
We're not architects, we're not historians and we don't know much about anything. However we do like modern houses and Christchurch is a great place for them.
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Don Donnithorne

Don believes his work gives people “relaxation and contentment, not drastic hallucinations”. The aim is to achieve privacy away from the outside world, creating special spaces within the home, which lend to the feeling of a retreat. Don is now well into his 80s, but is happily working and drives around in a Lancia Fulvia Zagato. Respect.

Don’s buildings are predominantly timber and brick, built in the Scandinavian style. He won the NZIA national award in 1979 for the Romeni House in Cashmere.

Richard Dalman, Chairman, Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects says that in the 1950s and 1960s Christchurch architects were leading New Zealand into modernism.  “In 1952 Don Donnithorne’s own house brought a simple Scandinavian modern style to Christchurch with a clean lines gable form. This approach was then developed further by Donnithorne, Warren and Mahoney, Peter Beaven, Don Cowie and many others to form a model that has been much copied throughout the city.”

See Don’s houses.

Photo by John Doogan

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 10th, 2008 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Don Donnithorne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Don Donnithorne”

  1. Dr Moran Says:
    November 20th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    Our Donnithorne house in Cashmere has had on going problems due to poor building practice from the building company recommended by Donnithorne.The house is 15 years old and in this time we have experienced continual roof leaks Stratco replaced the internal guttering in the valley areas and also replaced about one third of the roof. We have replaced carpet in the bed rooms two times.Soon after moving in both bathrooms needed repair due to leaks; the toilet in the bathroom came adrift ,most of the interior of the house had to be repaired and repainted.Carpet has also been removed from the office because of foundation leaks We could go on but you get the picture.Donnithorne stated he only had top quality builders and insisted that even tho he had not used them before they were good commercial builders. Skilled tradesmen would be used.The roofers needed 7 weeks to complete the roof,by this time most of the other sub contractors had finished.Donnithorne only visited a few times and left this task to others in his practice.The builders were Bushnell Builders and like Donnithorne they let us down .We are replacing theTudor metal tile roof at a large cost.FAIR GO DON.

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