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Buildings For The 21St Century

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Thu, 15/11/2012 - 12:00am

In February 2011 Ormiston Senior College welcomed its first Year 11 students to a new year in a stunning
new facility designed to meet the needs of teaching and learning in the 21st century. The building surrounds a courtyard and provides a variety of spatial options, from large open plan...

Building History

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Wed, 14/11/2012 - 12:00am

When Davor Mikulcic and Michael Maddern, from Studio MWA, first sighted the brief from clients, Cherry and Brian Weatherstone they immediately saw an opportunity to create something very special. It was a huge responsibility and challenge to fulfil the clients criteria and do justice to the...

The Iconic Victoria Street Market Redevelopment. A Work In Progress

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 13/11/2012 - 12:00am

Back in the 1980s Victoria Park Market was a popular destination for tourists and locals alike with its landmark chimney, colourful shops, stalls and
restaurants.

It was a vibrant part of the city, particularly as weekend shopping was quite limited back in those days.

Over the...

A Charitable Re-Roof From Edwards & Hardy And Metrolite

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Fri, 09/11/2012 - 12:00am

A 20 year, on-going relationship with Housing New Zealand involves Edwards & Hardy Auckland in a commitment to engage with the community.

So when the badly leaking decramastic roof on Mangere’s Mataatua Marae needed to be replaced this year, it was a good opportunity to empower the...

Claudeland'S Events Centre

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Fri, 09/11/2012 - 12:00am

With a vision to provide a world class venue, and capture the economic benefits for the city, the Claudeland’s Event Centre was born.

The site is unique by world standards and set on 34 hectacres of parkland within a 10 minute walk of the city centre. This space provided the opportunity...

Urban Excellence

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Fri, 09/11/2012 - 12:00am

Urban Residential Developments have been building high quality homes and alterations in the Waikato since 2004.

The owners of Urban Residential Developments are Daniel and Bronwyn Klinkenberg and they take pride in providing an exceptional combination of high quality workmanship and...

Arahina Re Roof Project

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Thu, 08/11/2012 - 12:00am

By Graham Hepburn

Arahina is one of Marton’s grand buildings and it is also a place where many lives – young and old - have been shaped. Built in 1919 for Alfred Crooke, a retired lawyer and magistrate, Arahina was originally named Astolat after a legendary city mentioned in the tales of...

St Patrick'S Church, Pukekohe

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 05/11/2012 - 12:00am

Blending the new with the old was an essential aspect of the project architect Jann Hurley undertook in
designing Pukekohe’s new church complex.

Blending the new structure’s steep-pitched roof with that of the existing low-pitched church hall and the linking foyer was a major...

Best Of Both Worlds

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Fri, 02/11/2012 - 12:00am

When owners Lyn McLean and Melanie Wakeman made the decision to build their dream it encompassed much more than a home. Their plans included provisions for the future from planting an avocado orchard to wiring the entire house and entry with surveillance cameras, broadband and sound systems....

Sustainable Steel In Ski Resort Construction

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Thu, 01/11/2012 - 12:00am

With the destruction of the original Knoll Ridge Chalet in February 2009, an ambitious design/build programme was initiated to create new facilities to be ready for the 2010 winter.

RAL engaged Stanley Construction to provide a design/build service with HB Architecture providing the...

Sustainable Transport

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Thu, 01/11/2012 - 12:00am

By Graham Hepburn

As sustainability becomes more of an issue around the world, attention has been focused not only on how a product is made but also how raw materials are collected and how the product is distributed.

Transporting materials to a factory and then shipping out the...

A Low Profile That Is Unique To Metrotile

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Wed, 31/10/2012 - 12:00am

Darren and Melanie Arnold purchased a 12 acre life style block in Karaka in 2001, with the intention of building a house that they could call a home and which would meet the ongoing and changing demands of their family.


Darren has been involved in the building industry for over 20...

Innovation In Form And Function

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Wed, 31/10/2012 - 12:00am

The Brief

The owners are long term friends and have been great clients over the years in various ventures. The site had an old house in poor condition, complete with asbestos cement sidings and roof. Since 2002 we looked at various ideas, and in September 2008, the following email arrived...

Creative Space

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 15/10/2012 - 12:00am

Starting with a blank slate to design your family home, a show home and a workplace, may seem like utopia however as Architectural Designer Andre Laurent discovered it is rather a challenge to be your own client. Being familiar with the importance of “getting the brief right“ did not reduce the...

Golden Home With A Heart Of Steel

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 15/10/2012 - 12:00am

When self-described ‘town boy’ David Grigor decided it was time to move to the ‘country’ to be closer to his business, he and his wife Donna knew exactly what they wanted out of a new home.

While many people move away from the city to retreat from work and city life, for David commuting...

Leigh Marine Centre

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 15/10/2012 - 12:00am

Since the early 1960s the University of Auckland’s Marine Laboratory at Leigh has played a vital role in marine science research and education. Over the years the centre has grown to accommodate the increasing numbers of academic staff and those doing undergraduate and postgraduate work on the...

Pelorus Trust Sportshouse Hutt City

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 15/10/2012 - 12:00am

Hutt Park is one of the treasures of Hutt City with its ports fields, nine-hole golf course and camping ground among its many facilities. But when harness racing’s Hutt Park Raceway folded in 2002, Hutt City Council was left with a bit of an eyesore at the southern end of the park with the old...

Copthorne Hotel

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 12/06/2012 - 12:00am

The Copthorne Hotel in central Auckland is an established and high profile landmark, that is strategically sited on Anzac Avenue, in Auckland’s Central Business District, just “down the hill” from the University of Auckland Campus and close to the Vector Arena.

The...

Providing Safe Cover For Students

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 12/06/2012 - 12:00am

Many schools in New Zealand were built prior to the current building standards, in 1998 the New Zealand Ministry of Education undertook a nationwide structural survey of all school buildings and site structures in order to identify specific structural defects that could potentially cause death...

Sustainable Solution

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 12/06/2012 - 12:00am

Pooling equity to create an extended family home seemed a logical step to Neil Jacka and Jacqui Simpson. The couple had planned to build a home behind Neil’s parents’ house in the Auckland suburb of Avondale once the property was subdivided.

Because they wanted a well-designed,...

The Tornado-Proof Roof

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 12/06/2012 - 12:00am

On Tuesday 3rd May 2011, the Auckland suburb of Albany experienced ‘an extreme weather event’. A large tornado touched down at 3.15pm and slammed through a shopping mall before moving south leaving a 5km trail of destruction.

Weather Watch chief analyst Philip Duncan said that the speed...

The Tree House

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 12/06/2012 - 12:00am

Owners Maddie Leach and Gary Bridle, when planning their new home, had a vision of a simple  structure reminiscent of the kiwi “Doc Hut”. The practical  implicity of open space providing shelter, warmth and strength appealed to their artistic values. “Simplicity is part of the built language of...

Te Hana Te Ao Marama

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Mon, 11/06/2012 - 12:00am

The opening of an educational and cultural tourist village in Te Hana  as signalled a new dawn for what was once a community in crisis.

In fact, such were Te Hana’s problems with poor housing, crime and a polluted water supply that authorities wanted to close down the town, which is just...

Forgotten Lessons Of The Past By Graham Hepburn

Submitted by NZMRM Editors on Tue, 15/05/2012 - 12:00am

Following the Christchurch earthquakes, engineering experts have recommended replacing heavy tile roofs with lightweight metal roofing.Inspections revealed that extensive damage was caused to houses by chimneys falling through heavy tile roofs or by the tiles coming loose and falling whereas...

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