Now heavily disguised as a shit house and hiding right under our noses is this very early Athfield design, sketched for his brother in 1963 whilst Ath was studying in Auckland. To see it today, painted yellow with a second storey and portico, causes acute intestinal gas.
…continue reading 216 Centaurus Rd. Tony Athfield House. Ian Athfield.
We don’t normally do real estate listings, but why not?
This townhouse is particularly good; designed around ’66 and renovated nicely in the noughties by Warren & Mahoney’s Richard McGowan (please contact Richard directly with any questions regarding the chequer plate stair treads). The building feels like the perfect prototype (and archetype) of the modern Christchurch inner-city home: beautiful and efficient in materials and design. At the open home make sure to say loudly, “mmm, very Miles”.
Two houses overlooking the Estuary. The brief was for “two bedroom apartments suitable for retired couples”. Not wildly exciting, but the architects did a pretty good job in comparison to the vomitous ‘over 60s’ duplex buildings scattered all over Christchurch.
…continue reading 235 Mount Pleasant Rd. Boulton House. Pascoe, Linton.
On the flat, the W&M roofs were steep and the chimneys monumentally tall. Here on the hillside, this 1965 house is low, boxy and clad in timber. The full width concrete balustrade is pretty tasty and a nice link to W&Ms more brutalist, commercial work..
…continue reading 17 Michael Ave. Langley House. Warren & Mahoney.
A well hidden gem up on the Cashmere hills designed for a Lincoln University Professor and his wife. It’s a killer house and unusual for Christchurch with it’s extensive use of glass and steel influenced by the American Case Study Houses. Excellent stuff.
…continue reading 843 Cashmere Rd. Walker House. Cowey & McGregor.
The story goes that Mrs Thomson participated in a ‘House and Garden’ course in 1966. One of the speakers was a young Miles Warren who made quite an impression and two years later designed this ‘English cottage’ for the young couple. Inside it’s by far the best preserved of the 1960s W&M houses and features pyramidal timber ceilings; split level living and a great fairface concrete fireplace. The nice garage studio was later added by David Brocherie.
…continue reading 5 Karitane Pl. Thomson House. Warren & Mahoney.
The crappy photos don’t do this house justice. Currently occupied by the University of Canterbury’s ‘Publications Team’, this former home seems remarkably intact. Inside, the fittings and layout are all there and the living, dining and bedrooms simply occupied by regulation office furniture. It wouldn’t take much to return it to what it should be.
…continue reading 118 Ilam Rd. Holdsworth House. Charles Thomas.
This original 60s house, designed by architect Joseph Moffat for his retirement, is hidden behind a solid concrete block wall and arranged around a swimming pool. The North facing full-height sliding glass wall of the living area is a sweet design touch and the type of feature that gave birth to the nauseating term ‘indoor-outdoor flow’.
…continue reading 56 Greers Rd. Moffat House. Grifiths, Moffat & Partners.
If we had a dollar for every ugly aluminium conservatory / sun room added to a Christchurch Modern home we’d have at least $64. The house is guilty – $65 - but the original unpainted concrete blockwork outside and stunning timber detailing inside leaves all forgiven. The fireplace in the living room is a behemoth and a thing of beauty.
…continue reading 29 Cannon Hill Cr. Minson, Henning Hansen.
A very tidy design that mixes various shapes particularly well. The main building at the rear is a typical Christchurch modern two-storey barn, but becomes extra interesting with the addition of the low, garage box and the mono pitch, wedge-of-cheese living area.
…continue reading 49 Parklands Dr. Architect Unknown.
