2021 Canterbury Architecture Awards Winner
Schneideman House (1966)
The huge loss of domestic architecture in the 2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence led the jury to reflect on the importance of recognising a specific mid-century Canterbury architectural style for the Enduring Award. The Schneideman House was designed by Sir Miles Warren in 1966 for Mr and Mrs A J Schneideman. As Sir Miles noted, this particular mid-century modern design harked back to the early New Zealand cottage and, for a time, was a trademark of his mid-century houses in Canterbury. The house is comprised of three steeply gabled wings – service, living and bedrooms. The starkness of the block structure is warmed by timber interior features and areas of parquet flooring. Full-length windows in the living areas provide a direct relationship with the foliage of the garden. A blank gabled wing elegantly and simply addresses the street frontage, typifying the clean-cut lines of architectural expression in mid-century modern architecture. Inside, little has changed other than the utilities, which have been updated sympathetically within the home’s original footprint. The Schneideman House has been carefully maintained over time and is testament to a timeless domestic design that is as relevant today as it was 55 years ago.
- Practice
- Warren and Mahoney Architects Ltd
- Category
- Enduring Architecture
- Location
- Canterbury
