For one New Zealand family, ‘forever home’ meant just that when they chose Nordic Copper for the external skin of their new house on the foreshore of Cass Bay, near Christchurch. Close collaboration between the Green family and their architect, Michael O’Sullivan of Bull O’Sullivan Architecture, characterised the design process.
The curvilinear plan wraps around the plot to maximise accommodation and the building’s organic form generates double-height living areas and distinctive spaces. Although initially conceived as an entirely cedar-clad building, this material was considered to be too complicated and costly, and alternative solutions sought. Many benefits of Nordic Copper were identified, including lighter weight requiring less steel structure, durability with no maintenance and a naturally developing surface appearance. As Aaron Green commented: ‘the copper will become more beautiful with time and an asset that we never have to touch again. It fits in with our aim to create a building that will last for literally hundreds of years’.
Nordic Standard was used throughout, combining modern long-strip technology and hand-worked traditional details, including copper louvres and a cave-like entrance with subtly inclined walls clad inside and out in copper – a showcase of craftsmanship.