Ormond-Phillips Renovations and Additions

The Ormond- Phillips house has at its nucleus a blockwork house from the 1970's .

The Site of this project was an existing concrete block house owned by Sophie Ormond and Johnny Phillips. The house was from the 1970s designed by Architect Peter Holland for Sophie’s parents Peter and Elizabeth Ormond.

The house is positioned on a 5 acre terrace over looking the Tukituki river and Te Mata peak range behind. Peter Ormond developed an extensive “Dry Garden” which he and Elizabeth ran as “Ormond’s garden and Nursery”

A key part of the brief was to retain and enhance the existing house and garden while extending the house to meet the needs of the family. As such the existing topography, vegetation and masonry house were all key planning constraints. Not to mention a staged construction that could over taken ( over about 7 years in the end) while the family continued to live in the house.

Johnny Phillips is a builder and therefore using timber wherever possible meant he could complete the project with his own hands to a maximum. A simile combination of Espan metal roofing and cedar cladding were used to keep a light timber construction in contrast to the existing concrete Masonary house.

Based one an overall concept developed when part of atelierworkshop

Photography by Richard Brimmer