JTB Architects is an awardwinning, New Zealand owned architectural practice, founded in Nelson in 1986.
Our team works from studios in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Wānaka. We draw together wide-ranging local and international experience, and bring understanding of local conditions to each project.
We provide specialist expertise in Architecture, Urban Design, Masterplanning, Environmentally Sustainable Design, Interior Design, Visualisation, and Building Information Management (BIM). Our aim is to respond to each project with creativity, energy and honesty, to create robust buildings while maintaining a clear focus on aesthetic quality.
We’re proud of the range of residential projects that we have delivered; each one representing a successful journey undertaken with our clients.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss new projects.
This medium density housing development comprises 66 units, completed in stages, on a steep sloping site in Mirimar, Wellington.
KAIRANGI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The housing is planned around a central pocket park and features a mixture of affordable and accessible units for the private and public market. The design provides connectivity to the neighbourhood, by way of pedestrian pathway, lowering the traffic volumes within the site with a shared low-speed carriageway for pedestrians and vehicles.
Dwellings are set out to maximise sun, views and private open spaces within
a medium density pattern, allowing 2, 3 and 4 bedroom properties so that a range of household sizes and types can be accommodated. Each home features a garage, a second car-park, and private outdoor space to augment the single level double aspect living areas, with upstairs bedroom and bathrooms.
The houses have distinct variations to cladding materials, colours and roof form to provide separate identity.
This medium-density housing development for HNZC, comprising 21 one-bedroom units, is expected to be occupied by predominantly elderly households with mobility concerns.
HNZC FRANKEMOORE STREET
The priority is to provide a ‘sense of community’ planned around a secure communal outdoor area; orientated for the sun, sheltered, and connected to the units at all levels. Safety and security is balanced with achieving a friendly face.
Each 50m2 unit comprises a kitchen, dining/living, studio bedroom, bathroom and laundry. The units are fully accessible, allowing 1,500mm turning circles within bathrooms and kitchens; level entries and wet-area showers.
The houses are oriented for sun and provision of active edges to the street, with lift access provided via a safe, central circulation
route. The development includes resident parking with drop-off and pick-up areas. Secure enclosed space to house bicycles, electric wheelchairs and scooters. Communal washing lines, rubbish/recycling bins, as well as raised ‘veggie’ planter boxes, are also provided.
The overall form is designed to reference the surrounding built context, with the two storey simple gable forms. Multiple blocks on the site break up the form, and create a rhythm along the street, with accent colours providing interest.
The design concept of Waimea Plains village offers a different approach to retirement living, focusing on place making, social interaction, solar access and natural landscape environment, and providing an outward looking, inclusive and permeable layout to create connections and integrate into the wider community.
WAIMEA PLAINS VILLAGE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING
The development comprises 160 villa and townhouse units, 26 Apartments, over 45 care rooms, and shared communal facilities arranged across 6 precincts which vary in use, materiality and scale.
The largest site area of the Retirement Village is devoted to individual single-storey residential villas in a mix of three bed, two bed and 1.5 bed units. Conceptually, these villas are organised in a series of ‘clusters’ - numbering from four to eight villas, grouped around
a courtyard with vehicle access, fanning a series of cul-de-sac neighbourhoods. Spaces between ‘clusters’ are communal ‘green’ space, onto which each villa can open out or overlook, used for amenity, circulation, recreational and social activities.
The overlapping groupings of the ‘courtyard neighbourhood’ and the ‘green neighbourhood’ is expected to create a strong social network around the site which will be a positive feature of the Village.
Silverbrooke is a medium density housing development on 162 hectares of ex-forestry land on a sheltered westfacing slope in Whitby, Porirua.
SILVERBROOKE
Location Whitby, Porirua
Status
Completed
The development comprises 160 individual housing units in a range of typologies, including: terraced townhouses, semi-detached houses and stand-alone houses. The overall site masterplan allows for building density, balanced by a network of public recreational parks and reserve areas protecting existing woodland, linked with walkways and cycleways.
The typologies are further divided into a range of size and price points to suit various demographics and encourage diversity; with each housing group located relative to land slope, orientation and proximity to open space. For instance, the terraced
house, being a high-density typology, is associated with the proposed green open spaces to offset their visual impact.
Housing designs focus on efficient floor plans, daylight/sunlight admission, indoor/outdoor connectivity and views, with careful consideration of security and privacy. Externally the intent is to create well-composed and articulated composition, using varied roof forms and plan form, with sun-shades, porches and balconies – to indicate entries, provide shelter and to enhance character.
This four unit townhouse block comprises four 148m2 houses with a garden courtyard and first floor riverfront terrace overlooking Nelson’s Maitai River.
MAITAHI QUARTER
Taking note of the Maitai River connection to the marina, the architectural silhouette references a classic boat-shed design, with a recessive external palette to fit within its urban context. The townhouses face north for sun and use natural light to penetrate the open layouts within.
The first floor riverfront terraces create an overhang that provides privacy to both the first floor
lounge space and ground floor bedroom utilizing the shadow created by the depth of the façade. Each interior provided options of two or three bedrooms with two bathrooms and a lift.
The townhouses are split into two by two unit blocks with a unified design approach to the create four architecturally continuous yet unique homes at the heart of Nelson City.
This multi-unit social housing development was completed in 2021, and comprises 36 units staggered vertically along a hillside site in the Wellington suburb of Newtown.
HNZC OWEN STREET
The single bedroom units are arranged around a central access point with public open spaces and a community room. The units on this elevated site are oriented to maximise the views and daylight access, where all units meet a maximum standard of 4 hours direct sunlight on the winter solstice.
Apartments are staggered vertically along the site to manage the steep topography while minimising the amount of cut
and fill required. This variation helps to break up the bulk of the development and integrate it into the surrounding suburban context of Newtown.
The darker cladding elements tie the overall development together, helping it recede into the dark greens of the Wellington Town Belt behind, while lighter materials and textures provide variation and personalisation to the units within.
Tewa Banks is a 70 home mixed tenure housing development for the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust. The project is located on a 3.6 hectare site beside the Arrow River and adjacent to the Arrowtown Golf Club. It is named after Jack Tewa who is credited with first discovering gold in the Arrow River in 1862.
TEWA BANKS
The project will provide local, affordable rental and rent-to-own opportunities for families and individual tenants of all ages. The house types range from single storey one bedroom accessible units to four bedroom two storey family homes. The house typologies include standalone dwellings, semi-detached homes and ter-
raced housing.
JTB provided Masterplanning and lead design services for the site and house designs. The site development includes community gardens and shared green spaces linking the site to the Arrow River. The road surfaces will be formed as shared spaces, for resident use and community activities.
This two-story townhouse development located in central Nelson, provides a total of 20 dwellings with a mix of 2 and 3 bedroom typologies.
MILTON STREET TOWNHOUSES
The building form, derived from traditional gabled houses along the street, provides the main characteristic of the design. This form is extended at the principal ends, to provide shelter and shading.
Access to the properties is provided via off the street and though the two formed site entries. Street access is provided with steps to the raised floor level, which provides privacy and passive street surveillance whist achieving the requisite clearances for flood protection.
Metal roofing material is used along with powder coated aluminium cladding, in combination with timber cladding to visually soften and provide warmth to the buildings.
Plastered concrete retaining walls are stepped and kept delivery low, along with stepped down garages, this allows for a softer street transition from the 1.3m high floor levels above street level.
Each townhouse features its own living exterior courtyard, along with a service court or parking and storage/carport structure.
This development comprises four 2-storey 4-bedroom dwellings in duplex format at the north end of the site with access from Truman Road and two apartment blocks with a total of 12 dwellings at the south with access from Greers Road.
KĀINGA ORA GREERS ROAD/TRUMAN ROAD
The site has dual street frontages that present different opportunities to engage with the street and public open spaces. For privacy and security, we have chosen to separate the developments, with no vehicle through access provided between Truman and Greers Road.
The apartments accessed from Greers Road are two 2-story, each consisting of one accessible 1-bedroom unit and 2 accessible 2-bedrooms units at ground floor level, with three 2-bedroom units at first floor level. The two apartment blocks are slightly offset to avoid repetition when viewed obliquely from public open spaces. The buildings provide clearly defined secure and accessible entrances at a slightly lower level to the private balconies to improve privacy. Open landscaping and planting are proposed throughout
the site with communal gardens, washing lines, and a clearly defined and separated rubbish collection area.
The Truman Road Dwellings consist of four 2-storey 4-bedroom dwellings in duplex format. Claddings, materials, planting, fencing and setbacks have been designed to reflect the residential nature of Truman Road, as opposed to the larger more open Greers Road street frontage.
The site layout provides good outlook, sunlight, and privacy to all units. Communal outdoor areas are accessible, usable, and attractive. Private open spaces connect directly to internal areas and are screened from public spaces. Generous planting is proposed for the entire development, both in the private garden spaces, public communal areas, and street frontage.
This Kāinga Ora development on a 7,500m2 site alongside Riccarton Road in Christchurch, comprises 27 dwellings contained within a mix of two-storey standalone, duplex and triplex units and a larger scale apartment building.
KĀINGA ORA
281 RICCARTON ROAD
Location
Status
The site arrangement provides for open space within the centre of the site, supplemented with a community room and outdoor play area to provide a community feel, with private outdoor spaces located towards the perimeter boundaries.
The apartment building contains 13 two-bed dwellings, and is effi-
ciently planned with a centralised entry, stair and lift to provide full Universal Design. The entry point is aligned with the central courtyard and adjacent to the play area.
The development is planned to encourage community activities, as well as maintaining privacy and private outdoor amenity areas.
In response to Kāinga Ora’s analysis of the Seaview Road site, we proposed a range of property types including 2 and 3-bedroom standalone homes and semi-detached (duplex) homes, providing a total of 21 new dwellings.
KĀINGA ORA SEAVIEW ROAD
The masterplan ensures an even distribution of density options that actively engage with the neighbouring streets and adjacent Birchwood School field, while providing for positive private outdoor living spaces and communal open spaces. The pedestrian and vehicle network provides a streetbased subdivision pattern with a good degree of permeability.
The proposed development is in Stoke, Nelson. The houses in the area are typically single storey in height, located on mid-size sections with many have been a part of the Housing New Zealand
building stock. The proposed development recognises and contributes to the character of the area by using building forms and cladding materials that tie in with neighbouring properties and by arranging each unit so that the landscaping can respond to the street in a similar manner.
All proposed units are positioned on the site to allow for passive surveillance of the streets and communal outdoor areas within the development. Street fronts are designed to reflect and enhance the character and form of neighbouring streets.
All buildings are a maximum of two storeys, and all houses have living spaces on the ground floor and primarily bedrooms on the upper floor. This is intended to ensure that the living spaces have good connections to the outdoor spaces.
A combination of light weight construction (painted weatherboard and pre-finished profiled metal of different colour combinations) and brick cladding is proposed across the whole development. Variation in colour, tone, placement, and orientation of the cladding materials
breaks up the elevations to provide human scale and visual interest.
This proposal provides the necessary variation in housing typologies, with density and distribution, to meet the demands of Kāinga Ora’s yield requirements while ensuring good urban design outcomes. Through the arrangement and design of the buildings within the development, visual bulk is minimised through strategic cladding design and planting layouts.
Located on Auckland’s North Shore, this development in Long Bay has been planned to provide care options for Auckland’s Asian community.
LONG BAY VILLAGE
Architectural and landscape components draw heavily from Asian design forms, while private and shared spaces have been designed to accommodate ways of living familiar to these communities.
The development consists of:
• 30 care units
• 87 one and two-bedroom apartments
• 17 two and three-story villas
• 41 two-storey townhouses
Communal facilities include lounges, dining areas, medical rooms and recreational facilities such as a cinema room, gym, spa and pool. Communal spaces and amenities are distributed across the site to facilitate access to such spaces for all residents, enhance visibility and provide visual amenity.
This aged care village development for Arvida is located on a relatively flat and roughly rectangular 11.4 hectare site in Lincoln and will comprise 188 individual single storey residential dwellings in a range of size and typologies, a two storey carehome with 60 suites, together with recreational and social facilities.
ARVIDA LINCOLN
These will be set within a safe and well-maintained, landscaped setting, with activity and amenity areas including gardens, outdoor fitness areas, wetland areas, bowling greens; linked with pedestrian and cycling pathways and low-speed vehicle roads.
The masterplan is arranged with a central precinct, containing the Clubhouse and Carehome as an Amenity Hub, at the centre of the village, with the smaller townhouse and duplex villa typologies nearby to utilise the support services. The primary vehicle circulation ‘loop’ road defines the edge of the central precinct, with Independent Living residential precincts from the
outside this road extending to the boundaries of the site.
The village draws on the rural character of the area for the architectural form of the buildings, double pitch roof forms with gables characterise the villas, creating a familiar and recognisable style that residents can relate to and that reflect neighbouring residential properties. The villas will be designed to meet Lifemark accessibility standards, and to achieve Homestar ratings. Orientation and screening of the various indoor/ outdoor habitable spaces to provide shelter from prevailing winds
Located in Highbury, Palmerston North, this Kāinga Ora development provides 76 dwellings, on a fragmented site covering 11,600m2, within a range of property types.
KĀINGA ORA HIGHBURY CLUSTER
Dwellings in the Highbury Cluster include:
Communal open green spaces have been created within Blocks A and B. For Block A, a cloister garden is provided for residents only. Within Block B a ‘Community Hub’, comprising community park and community room, is available to both residents of the new development and the wider community. The community hub is located at the southern end of Block B adjacent to Croydon Ave. The location signals its availability to the wider community and forms a strong spatial relationship with the existing park across the road. Location
• Stand-alone homes
• Semi-detached (duplex) homes
• Walk-up (apartment) units
The master planning ensures an even distribution of typology and density options that actively engage with the neighbouring streets, adjacent public park, and neighbouring Kāinga Ora land divested to Te Tihi while providing for positive private outdoor living spaces and communal open spaces, with a network of pedestrian and vehicle routes to provide an appropriate degree of permeability.
All proposed units are positioned on the sites to allow for passive surveillance of the streets and communal outdoor areas within the development. The street fronts have been designed to reflect and enhance the character and form of neighbouring streets.
Four material palettes are proposed for the development. Each block will have its own palette, with Block B, being the largest bock, having two. The palettes share common materials, but these materials vary in colour, pattern and detail. Thus each block will have its own identity and character while sharing a common architectural language with the neighbouring blocks.
Located in Awapuni, Palmerston North, this Kāinga
Ora
development provides 57 dwellings, with a varied mix of underlying typologies.
KĀINGA ORA RALEIGH AND RUGBY STREET
Dwellings in the Highbury Cluster include:
• 1-bedroom walk-ups/ apartments
• 2-bedroom walk-ups/ apartments
• 2-bedroom duplexes/ stand-alones
• 3-bedroom duplexes/ stand-alones
• 4-bedroom stand-alones
• 5-bedroom (4+1) stand-alones
All buildings are a maximum of two storeys, and except for the firstfloor walk-ups, all houses have living spaces on the ground floor and primarily bedrooms on the upper floor. This is intended to ensure that the living spaces have good connections to the outdoor spaces.
Sub variants of the main typologies have been designed to allow all houses to achieve appropriate street presence and outlook, good daylight, and privacy to key internal and external spaces.
Further variation is provided in alternative roof forms and composition of the cladding elements ensure a diversity of compositions across the development thus avoiding repetition and banality.
All proposed units are orientated on the site to ensure main living spaces and outdoor entertainment areas are facing north, east or west to optimise solar gain. All living areas (except for first floor walk-ups/ apartments) are contiguous with private covered deck space which leads through to low maintenance landscaped areas. This creates a high level of internal and external residential amenity for the residents. The private outdoor spaces are based on the precepts of the PNCC District Plan and Kāinga Ora Landscape Design Guides.
