By the time you read this, the Here Awards 2023 rōpū – Sarosh Mulla, Kristina Pickford, Caro Robertson and Simon Farrell-Green – will be on the road, judging 11 projects around Aotearoa. Safe to say we’re excited. 

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This year, the range of shortlisted projects is delightful. There’s everything from a kitchen renovation to a multi-house development. The connection? Singular, clear-eyed design that responds to a particular set of circumstances: not one of these projects has settled for business as usual.

Some themes? Three years after the first Covid lockdown, when many of these projects were being conceived, there’s a noticeable shift to homes that are built to accommodate both family and work: no fewer than three were expressly designed to incorporate work-from-home studios and remote-work arrangements, and to respond to the complications and blurrings that everyone who works from home is well aware of. 

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We’re also delighted by a strong showing in affordable density, with projects from Crosson Architects and Ockham expressly created to provide architecturally designed housing in very different contexts, close to public transport and urban amenities. In an election year where density – and the question of whether a new government will ditch the widely hailed three-by-three rules – are top of mind, they show how good density has the ability to transform our cities for the better.

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At the opposite end of the scale, we are excited by our small projects, too, which show the joy and beauty that can be achieved when designing something with very specific spatial parameters. From a garden studio to a place to pause while walking, each one of them is delightful. 

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We’re looking forward to announcing our finalists, category winners and Best House Aotearoa 2023 in our next issue. In the meantime, keep an eye out on social media as we visit the houses in person – and thanks to our vehicle partner Hyundai, we’ll be doing this in the all-electric IONIQ 5.

And thank you, as ever, to our award partners Città, Resene and Blum, without which none of this would be possible.

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Poppa’s Palace

Oli Booth Architecture

Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau‍

A small one-bedroom house on a multi-generational site overcomes a bordering carpark and close neighbours to create something special for retired vet Pete and dog Sheba. Jammed on three boundaries in a previously awkward space, with private access to a service alley. 

New House; Apartment or Townhouse

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Light Catcher

Jose Gutierrez

Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau

On a south-facing site with no view, a sculptural extension to a Grey Lynn villa creates an inward-looking oasis around a courtyard and pond. Monolithic forms frame the building, anchoring expansive sliding doors and generous toplights, while timber battens reference the original villa. Dappled light and the sound of water ensure a sense of calmness and tranquility. 

Reuse and Renovation; Colour, Craft and Detail

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Garden Studio

Sayes Studio

Point Chevalier, Tāmaki Makaurau

‍Architect Henri Sayes creates a place to think, to work, to paint and to make music. Garden Studio forms a key landscaping element, providing enclosure and structure to the garden, as well as a focal point around the outdoor fireplace. Slatted timber screens transform the space effortlessly from one mode to the other.

Small Project

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Koa Flats

Ockham

Meadowbank, Tāmaki Makaurau

On a 632-square-metre site a short walk from Meadowbank train station, Ockham has built its smallest development to date: 14 apartments in a gabled brick building, featuring a shared subtropical garden and swimming pool. Sitting beside traditional single-family homes, this demonstrates that intensification can be sympathetic to the surrounding area.

Apartment or Townhouse

Hapua House

Studio LWA

Remuera, Tāmaki Makaurau

After sensitively transforming a 1960s house by Geoff Newman for a modern family, Lisa Webb has now designed a new bedroom pavilion in the garden, preserving the beloved architecture of the original and making a space with views and a sense of refuge. The adults in the family now have a retreat that floats above the hurly-burly of family life.

Reuse and Renovation; Colour, Craft and Detail

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Konini Road Kitchen

Atelier Jones Design

Titirangi, Tāmaki Makaurau

A sympathetic addition to a 1950s house uses recycled rimu, folded steel framework and earthy colours to transform a formerly closed-in space. A suspended peninsula, pivot lights and spice station, cleverly integrated into the steel beams, create a vibrant and inviting social hub with a sensory experience of scents, colours and rich textures.

Small Project; Sustainability; Colour, Craft and Detail

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Kōtuitui Terraces Stage II

Crosson Architects

Manukau, Tāmaki Makaurau

A housing development that shows Kiwibuild price points are no impediment to quality. Single terracotta tile cladding gives the buildings a strong streetside presence as well as an acoustic shield to a nearby motorway; each house features a courtyard rather than a carpark, and the development achieved a Homestar 6 rating.

Apartment or Townhouse

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Popadich House

Davor Popadich

Hāhei

Extensive native planting, plus ongoing pest and weed control, have improved the biodiversity and ecology of this former paddock, while providing a home and workplace for Davor and Abbe Popadich. The house was conceived as a shelter, wrapping itself around a courtyard with extended eaves and a low profile, opening out to views and the garden. 

New House; Sustainability

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Wedge Pavilion

Ethan Aish

Papamoa 

The culmination of a year’s exploration into new timber fabrication as part of Aish’s masters of architecture, the Wedge Pavilion pairs traditional carpentry practice and modern-day digital fabrication to enable the use of low-quality timber in a delightful wooden structure. Built without nails, screws or concrete, the pavilion sits next to a burbling stream in Papamoa.

Small Project; Sustainability; Colour, Craft and Detail

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Textured Bach

Nic Owen Architects

Sumner, Ōtautahi

Devised as a burnt, chiselled timber sculpture, the home of architect Nic Owen is multifunctional, containing home and studio. Embedded into the land on one side and hovering above it on the other, an inscrutable single-storey facade at street level gives way to an open, two-storey volume behind, with a subsequent play between intimacy and openness in the interior spaces. 

New House; Interior; Sustainability; Colour, Craft and Detail

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Taylors Mistake House

New Work Studio/Tim Nees Architects

Taylors Mistake, Ōtautahi

‍Four white volumes around a beautifully planted courtyard contain the home and studio of architect Tim Nees, on a steep slope above Taylors Mistake. Pushing out above the slope on steel pilotis, the complex features a rigorous framework and an obsession with detail, but nevertheless feels casual and comfortable.

New House‍

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