Designer Feature: Assembly Architects

Assembly was originally founded in Wellington in 2005, making this the firm’s 20th year in practice. Over that time, co-founders Louise and Justin Wright have established a sense of integrity and confidence in their processes and design ethos, which - impressive awards list aside - they view as their most prominent success to date.

“There's lots of different ways to practice and lots of different ways to design,” says Justin. “For us, it’s great to be at the point where we can tell people ‘this is how we work and how we do it’ and to realize that clients will choose you based on whether they share your values, and that we can be steadfast about that.”

While never specifically noted down, the practice’s core values come through in their designs. In this part of the country, alpine views are an important factor for most homes, but along with that comes a need for shelter from the elements, as well as an inherent wish to maintain the natural environment surrounding them.

"We don't come out and say, “we're a sustainable practice”, because I think sustainability is something that sits within the work you do and how you approach it,” says Justin.

When approaching a new project, Assembly begins by considering the internal experience of a home at its specific location. This means determining view corridors and wind and sun direction, then assessing how a building might interact with these, especially given the often high-level mountain vistas in the region.

This methodology can sometimes be a hard sell for clients, especially if they have specific features in mind. However, most will trust in the experience of architects who work within this environment, and the finished result will always speak to the success of the process.

“A typical example is a house with a view to the west and the client will want to have their deck and all their furniture out the front because that's where the view is,” says Louise. “However, we know from living here, the constant wind means you’ll barely use that outdoor area. We'll create other views within the arrangement, which might mean the primary view is seen through large windows - which after all, is where you will see it the most. Once your client understands why we've made those decisions, then they understand their house too.”

When it comes to aesthetic choices, the couple will often take potential clients on a tour of their previous projects. Many Assembly houses use a common material internally and externally to merge with the landscape, with timber especially used to soften and create warmth.

“There’s not often a strong client drive to use timber,” says Louise. “If we've got it on the walls and the floors and ceilings, and they haven't experienced that level of timber, they will sometimes feel it is going to be too much. So then they might go to see our home studio, Out House, and they'll quickly discover how nice it smells, and they’ll experience that cosy, cabin aesthetic, and they’ll love it.”

Looking towards the next ten years, the couple sees the 2030 Challenge for carbon neutral buildings as potentially changing the way architects design houses. They consider houses set on piles as a future trend that could help meet this challenge. Their own home and several of their projects have been built in this way, which is unusual in the district.

Explore projects by Assembly below: Cardrona Cabin, Crafted Crib, Crown Terrace Retreat and Out House Annex.

ASSEMBLY PROJECTS

Crafted Crib

This holiday home for a Wellington family was to be built during Covid-times, which led to a timber carpentry design that could be achieved by a small team. A pile foundation allowed for different ‘bubbles’ of tradespeople to work on the home separately once the structure was in place. Crafted Crib’s high views of The Remarkables governed the shape and size of windows as well as the mono-pitch roof, which diverged from the area’s strict design covenants. Splashes of colour are provided throughout including pounamu green stone benchtops, and colourful shower tiles in blue and terracotta adding depth to the warm timber interiors.

Product:
Vulcan Cladding - Vertical Grain, Architectural Series (WB10 Profile 180x20) in Iron Vitriol

Location:
Jack's Point, New Zealand

Credits:
Assembly Architects team: Justin Wright, Louise Wright, Marcus Kirk, Catarina Peeters
Builder: Lakes Building Company