30/04/2026
This is what it looks like when a building finally belongs to its landscape.
Hinterland sits above Brighton on the Otago coast — farmland on one side, the Pacific on the other, and native planting that takes over everything in between. The original cladding was zincalume: bright, reflective, disconnected from all of it.
The new palette was chosen deliberately. Dark vertical metal that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. Vertical cedar in a lighter earthy tone — warmer, textured, selected specifically because it will age gracefully alongside the site. The vertical orientation of both materials reinforces the building's angular geometry, clarifying forms that were previously muddled.
Beneath the surface: a rigid air barrier, fully insulated cavities to H1 standard, thermally broken joinery replacing the original aluminium units, and regraded ground levels to address the corrosion that had been working on the steel framing unseen.
This was not a quick fix. It was a considered rethink — and the result is a building that performs as well as it looks.
Entered in the ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards 2026 — Otago / Southland, Category 05: Residential Alterations and Additions.
—
Thanks to our awesome client.
Architecture: DKArchitecture
Engineering: Sean O'Neill, Hanlon & Partners
Construction: Fahey Kwait Builders
Photography: Derek Morrison