Different wood species and treatments feature in this award-winning home

Wood has come a long way from simply being a framing option for bungalows, as the 2017 NZ Wood Resene Timber Design Awards have proven.

Point Wells Gables took out the coveted Carter Holt Harvey Residential Architectural Excellence Award at the recent NZ Wood-Resene Timber Design Awards. The house was also highly commended in the Taranakipine Interior Innovation category.

The warm, inviting home shows what can be achieved when its architects Aaron Paterson and Steven Lloyd of the Paterson Architecture Collective, Steven Lloyd Architecture and Glamuzina Architects employed a broad range of timber species and finishes.

The beautifully crafted timber dwelling sits on a site alongside an estuary of the Omaha River. The house is a three-part play, comprised of two separate wings, running north to south, connected by a boardwalk running east to west with a gabled guest wing. The elongated boardwalk is a key organising device to provide a variety of outdoor spaces to take advantage of the sun's changing positions.

The architects chose to celebrate the aesthetic, tectonic or constructional beauty and weathering possibilities of raw timber by using it for all the home's exterior cladding and interior linings. The cathedral-like interior has natural warmth that is achieved by a combination of timber textures and colours. New Zealand Beech mitred and spliced to form a seamless linear surface is used to line the interiors. Structural components are prominent features through the interior Tonka posts, transom beams and truss frames are joined by exposed galvanised bolts, to give an agricultural tone. The design demonstrates an exploration of timber in all its textures, tones and colours.

Judges' considerations included looking at innovative aspects in design, material selection, context, built form, sustainability and its solution vs the project's complexity. They said the highly manipulated and detailed use of traditional timber technologies achieves a high emotional impact.

Story by: Trendsideas