Design notebook
Q&A with director Andrew Mitchell of Pattersons
What was it like working within an insurance budget?
We approached the project by focusing on quality rather than quantity. The floor area is slightly smaller than the original house, which allowed residual budget for finishes and bespoke detailing. The local construction industry was being hit with significant cost escalations as we designed. As we tweaked the house to reduce cost, the market construction costs kept going up. Thankfully, prices flattened off enough to push go.
Was it helpful being able to wander through the original house?
The house was in the process of being red-zoned and experiencing it allowed Ian and Liz to physically describe to us what each space meant to them. It’s unique to have a house already sited as a benchmark for the future design. The lower floor had taken the brunt of the earthquake impact and couldn’t be saved. Seeing how much the site and home meant to Ian and Liz invigorated us to create a new beginning and memories for their future.
How did your work on the Christchurch Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre influence the design?
We learned a lot from that project, including how white steel and glass buildings sit wonderfully in a garden landscape. The framework of Ian and Liz’s garden falls within English traditions of a more formal approach, which tied into what we were doing for the visitor centre at the time. For the interior, we chose white because we wanted the house to form a backdrop for Liz and Ian’s art collection.