Architectural Craft – Menzies Pop by Common Architecture

Emerging from the site as a bold concrete structure, Menzies Pop is a celebration of architectural craft. Introducing a refined material palette to the pre-existing home, Common Architecture maximises the potential of the New Zealand property.

Located in Sumner, a suburb settled on the outskirts of Christchurch, Menzies Pop presents as a distinctive concrete construction. Surrounded by hills and walking tracks, the home is a visually modest offering peppered with an array of hand-crafted details. Clover shapes cut into the parapets and a carved arched entrance contribute to a pleasing façade, whilst paw prints to the side of the building speak to the unique decorative opportunities that concrete can provide.

Taking over a decade to complete, Menzies Pop is a thoughtful reconfiguration of the original building.

Taking over a decade to complete, Menzies Pop is a thoughtful reconfiguration of the original building. Implemented with a sensitive approach to the pre-existing structure, the first-floor addition is subtly inserted beyond the existing parapet line. Three bedrooms are reimagined as a kitchen-living area, with their north-west orientation allowing the spaces to have access to a deck at the rear of the home. By moving the kitchen into a more communal part of the house, Common Architecture presents the space as central to family life; in place of the kitchen of old is a tranquil bedroom.

An expert eye is applied to the scale of the interior design. Consideration was given to the furniture, skylights and the single-length boards that cover selected internal walls, allowing the dimensions of the home to feel emphasised. The beloved timber of the pre-existing home is complemented by teak, stone and brass accents, which forms a sophisticated extension of the original material palette, while a warm-toned wood replaces the existing carpet.

The beloved timber of the pre-existing home is complemented by teak, stone and brass accents, which forms a sophisticated extension of the original material palette, while a warm-toned wood replaces the existing carpet.

Menzie Pop retains many of the features that defined its first construction. By expressing appreciation of the history of the building through its renovation, Common Architecture effortlessly allows for the story of architectural craft to continue.