At just 59.5sqm, it’s a restrained footprint yet the fundamentals of the spatial arrangement give it generosity and the quality of the CLT construction teamed with energy efficient appliances make for a comfortable, compact environment.
RTA Studio Senior Associate Mitchell Round got the opportunity to prove his philosophy that “Architecture doesn’t need to be overly complex to be special” when adapting the floorplan. He had to use a rigorous lens. In this iteration, Mitchell shifted the bathroom to sit between the two bedrooms and allocated space for the laundry within the kitchen area. An attic for storage makes use of the roof space.
Maintaining the clarity and discipline of the original concept, a stud height of 3.2 metres in the living zone, teamed with glazing at each end, ensures an architectural lightness of being. The two-bedroom option is priced at $305,000 inc GST, keeping it high in the affordability stakes, and with its colourful steel coat it’s destined to be a natural attention grabber, just like its big brother.
While we continue to nurture relationships with iwi groups, papakāinga housing associations and community-led developers to bring this design-wise, financially feasible and carbon-friendly option to a larger audience, the Living House has had instant appeal for individual downsizers or as accessory dwellings such as granny flats or farm-worker accommodation.
Despite the uncertainty of an election year and a turbulent global backdrop, there’s encouraging momentum. The Rotorua prototype was snapped up after just three days advertised on Trade Me by a first-time homeowner who had missed out on several houses in her search. Having moved in last September, the owner reports that she is yet to receive an electricity bill due to the solar panel-energy generated by the house.
A further trio of three-bedroom builds already have their touch-the-land-lightly feet on the ground: one on a Ōtepoti Dunedin peninsula with wraparound views that was built for retirees; another on a large rural property in Turanga Gisborne where the owner, looking towards retirement, wants to decamp from her old, cold bungalow; and a third at Whangārei Heads, which will be used as a bach for a Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland family with two school-age children. There is one currently under construction in Northland that will be completely off-gird.
In parallel, a more highly specified Living House is in the pipeline near Queenstown, which takes the established footprint as a starting point and adapts it. Designed to accommodate extended family, the project demonstrates the elasticity of the Living House system when pushed towards a more bespoke outcome.
Look out for us at Fieldays on June 10-13 and the Auckland Home Show later in the year (10-13 September). livinghouse.nz