The Lake Hawea courtyard house designed by Glamuzina Paterson Architects, of Auckland, was one of four winners in the housing category of the architecture awards.
The 250sq m courtyard house was constructed at the base of Mt Maude for $650,000.
''On an exposed subdivided site in a stunning landscape this house inverts the traditional New Zealand residential model to provide a haven against the elements and the attentions of neighbours,'' the judges' citation said.
''Chiselled in form and grounded in presence, the house reads as a contemporary type, sufficiently confident to display his less sensitive side. In lieu of a big budget, the architects have extracted a full return from the house's courtyard organisation and from the sculptural use of seconds-quality bricks, irregularly laid to cast shadows across the exterior walls of the house, its courtyard and an adjacent walled garden.''
The awards were judged by architects Andrew Barclay, Jane Aimer and Pete Bossley, of Auckland, and Rachel Neeson, of Sydney.
The project was one of 19 to be recognised at the 2013 New Zealand Architecture Awards, announced in Auckland last night. The supreme New Zealand Architecture Medal was awarded to the Imperial Buildings, in Auckland, designed by Fearon Hay Architects.
