New Zealand Architecture

It's well known that New Zealand is a beautiful country, full of contrasting sce
nery. Its use as a location for the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films has made
it even more popular as a holiday destination. New Zealand architecture may be l
ess well known outside of the country. The built environment is a fascinating in
sight into the culture of the people. Today's architects and designers have prod
uced imaginative buildings that fit into the stunning landscape.
There are several books on the market that address this subject with colorful il
lustrations and informative text. Professionals, students and anyone with an int
erest in New Zealand architecture will enjoy the content. New New Zealand Houses
is compiled by Patrick Reynolds and John Walsh. There are sections on 25 contem
porary houses and the text looks at the challenges facing architects of today. R
eynolds is a respected architectural photographer and Walsh is an architecture m
agazine editor.
Architecture Uncooked: An Architect Looks Around New Zealand Holiday Houses is b
y Pip Cheshire, in which she comments on seven holiday homes. The photographs ar
e, once again, provided by Patrick Reynolds. The seven homes range from a humble
mountain hut in the Southern Alps to the houses in Northland Bay. Architecture:
Inspired by New Zealand is by Amanda Hyde de Krester and David Sullivan. This i
s a New Zealand architecture book for the connoisseur with panoramic landscape p
hotography and floor plans for each building. The projects under discussion are
by the country's leading architects and the book looks at what residential homes
add to the landscape.
Holidaymakers to this part of the world may be familiar with the beach front pro
perty and will enjoy Beach Houses of Australia and New Zealand 2, the second vol
ume, by Stephen Crafti. Some of these properties are situated in bushland and sc
rub. They may be timber shacks or luxury homes. Whatever their design, there is
more freedom from planning constraints than in the cities or suburbs, so they ar
e by nature, individual designs.
Museum, Gallery and Cultural Architecture in Australia, New Zealand and the Paci
fic Region: Essays in Antipodean Identity is an ambitious work, edited by Michae
l J. Ostwald and Steven D. Fleming. The book comprises of nine critical essays b
y writers and thinkers on architecture in the region. Famous buildings are consi
dered and the essays discuss what they have in common and how they contribute to
the cultural identity of the area they are in. The pieces are mostly contempora
ry, the most iconic being the Sydney Opera House. Important museums, art galleri
es and cultural institutions are featured and urban design in general is examine
d.
Author Peter Shaw and illustrator and photographer Robin Morrison have produced
New Zealand Architecture, a study of the history of different architectural styl
es in the country and the leading architects responsible. The book traces the ea
rly Maori construction through Gothic, Victorian, Neo-Classical, Edwardian, the
Arts and Crafts movement and the 1980s.