A dozen southern homes, many of them inspired by the Otago landscape they sit in, will vie for top honours at the New Zealand Institute of Architects annual awards later this year.
The top Otago and Southland homes were announced at the 2015 Southern Architect Awards in Dunedin last night.
Housing projects took 12 of the 16 awards, with 10 of those homes in the Queenstown Lakes district.
Craig McAuliffe, the convener of the awards jury, said the jury saw how architects drew inspiration from the local landscape in producing designs linked to sites.
''These designs are unique - they're appropriate in their form and function, and they combine quality materials with clever plans to express the emotive qualities of space.''
Mr McAuliffe also praised the region's builders for their attention to detail, quality of finish and use of materials.
Christchurch firm Warren and Mahoney received four awards, while Mason & Wales won three awards, all for houses.
Awards for commercial architecture were given to Tennent + Brown Architects, for the Aro Ha Wellness Retreat at Glenorchy, and McCulloch Architects, for the Stadium Southland reinstatement in Invercargill.
The award for education building design was given to Parker Warburton Team Architects for the OUCA Childcare Centre in Dunedin, while the award for hospitality and retail design went to Warren and Mahoney for Outdoor H&J Smith in Invercargill.
All the winners will be considered for the 2015 New Zealand Architecture Awards, announced in November.
