House of the Year 2010
Nelson’s top properties revealed in the House of the Year
Of the 20 entries judged, 16 were residential entries and 4 were commercial entries. Of the medals awarded; there were 9 Gold Medals, 6 silver and 5 bronze.
A stunning five bedroom masterpiece, a reconstruction of a 1950’s batch, and the Nelson City Council Customer Service Centre, have been named this year’s top Nelson properties, winning the Supreme Awards in the Nelson Registered Master Builders House of the Year and RMB Commercial Project Awards, in association with PlaceMakers.
Harris Builders’ PlaceMakers House of the Year Supreme Award
Harris Builders’ Nelson home, entered in the New Homes $600,000 – $1 million category, took out the PlaceMakers House of the Year Supreme Award, while Contemporary Homes 2010 Limited was presented with the new Supreme Award for the Renovation of the Year.
Scott Construction Commercial Project of the Year and Retail & Business Project
Scott Construction Limited was awarded the Commercial Project of the Year and the Retail and Business Project, for their development of the Nelson City Council Customer Service Centre.
Extensive preparation and planning was undertaken by Harris Builders before construction began. The demolition of an existing bowling club house, construction of a bridge and the relocation of council drains were required before the build could progress.
Despite the challenging start to the project, the judges were impressed with the end result.
“This is an exceptionally designed and crafted home with meticulous detail and an excellent design flow,” judges said.
“The property has been built on a difficult site and obviously required a high degree of skill and accuracy – creating an end result that is of an outstanding standard.”
Contemporary Homes Supreme Award for the Renovation of the Year
Contemporary Homes 2010 Limited, entered in the over $500,000 Renovation category, were faced with a more straight forward brief to remodel the existing house and outdoor living areas and create a modern contemporary home with soul and texture.
“This renovation has been cleverly constructed on a complex site, containing five bedrooms with plenty of privacy.
“The workmanship and design are superb and the builder has used great indoor/outdoor flow throughout the property,” said the judges.
The Customer Service Centre, developed by Scott Construction, was designed to provide a single point of contact for customer queries and transactions within the ground floor area of the Civic House Tower Building.
“The builder should be commended for his excellent work on this project which is an extremely well-executed refurbishment with stunning design features and high quality workmanship,” judges said.
“A notable feature of the development is the informal lounge, which creates a pleasant public space with a great ambience.”
Hope Community Church
The winning builders were recognised by members of the Nelson Registered Master Builders Association and the local building industry, at a gala dinner at the Hope Community Church on Friday 25 June.
The nine Gold Award winners from the Nelson Association will now be judged alongside Gold Award winners from the other 19 regions of the competition, to find the National Gold Reserve finalists, which will be announced in late August.
National category winners, PlaceMakers Supreme Awards for the Renovation of the Year and the House of the Year; and the RMB Commercial Project of the Year will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland in November.
The Awards are made possible by the support of principal sponsor PlaceMakers, and supporting sponsors James Hardie, Gib Living Solutions®, Pink® Batts® Ultra® (Tasman Insulation), Nulook, the Department of Building and Housing, and Meridian.
New Zealand’s premier building competition celebrates 20 years
The Registered Master Builders House of the Year, in association with PlaceMakers, will celebrate its 20th year with a range of new initiatives in 2010. 20 entries have been received in Nelson - “20 entries for the 20th Year”.
Two of the most significant new features this year are a Supreme Award for renovations sponsored by PlaceMakers, to be chosen from the winners of the three renovation categories, and the introduction of a platinum award for companies which have received five or more national awards.
Other initiatives will focus on the competition’s history at the regional House of the Year events, including a celebration of significant members’ achievements over the past 20 years, and saluting previous supreme award-winning members and projects.
From humble beginnings in 1991, with just 120 entries across four categories, the awards last year featured an impressive 548 entries across 25 building categories covering new homes, renovations, sustainable building and commercial projects.
Registered Master Builders Federation chief executive Warwick Quinn says the House of the Year has set the benchmark for building standards in New Zealand for the past two decades, and the 2010 competition will no doubt raise the bar yet again.
“Whether a building project is a home renovation or a multi-million dollar office complex, Registered Master Builders have proven that they are unmatched when it comes to professionalism and quality workmanship,” Mr Quinn says.
John Beveridge, chief executive of principal sponsor PlaceMakers, says the company’s association with the House of the Year is a source of immense pride.
“Builders do more than just construct new homes and offices. They create environments that New Zealanders live, work and play in – today and in the decades to come,” Mr Beveridge says. “That’s a hugely important social and economic contribution to our country.
“And given that building accounts for 5% of New Zealand’s GDP and 8% of employment, and is a key foundation industry of our economy, it makes this competition even more relevant,” he says.
The Awards are made possible through the support of principal sponsor PlaceMakers, and supporting sponsors James Hardie, Gib Living Solutions®, Pink® Batts® Ultra® (Tasman Insulation), Nulook, the Department of Building and Housing, and Meridian.