Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 4 New Zealand | Page 132

Knierim says the design
was also influenced by local
regulations that required the
house to be a modern insertion
into the heritage row.
“It had to read like a
contemporary addition, not
a replica. Even the materials
needed to be different.”
To meet this requirement
the designer specified exposed
steel, a textured concrete
render in both black and

white, and extensive glazing
front and back. Even the front
gate is a sliding glass door. The
custom front entry features a
photographic laser print etched
onto the door, which is an
aerial view of the house taken
by Belinda, a photographer.
Equally dramatic is the
7m-high vertical garden at
the entry, and the boundary garden, which signals the
sustainable design approach

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taken throughout the entire
build – even wastewater was
recycled during construction.
“The gardens stop reflected
heat from entering the house.
They also help to insulate noise
from the street,” Knierim says.
A flowering rooftop garden
plays a similar role, insulating the house and providing
an aesthetically pleasing view
for neighbours, and a natural environment for birds and

insects, inclu F