The Most Unique Homes of 2024 as presented by HOME magazine

For the first time in the history of the Home of the Year awards, a multi-unit project has taken the top accolade. Crosson Architects’ Boathouse Bay displays the ideas that should be informing our architectural vocabulary, and, more importantly, the community building ethos that should be at the heart of any higher density project.
The site is at the end of a small road on the furthest enclave of a town of approximately 4000 people, one hour north of Auckland. This complex is spread along a ragged, crescent shape sandwiched between verdant hills, the adjacent coastline, and, to the south, sleepy houses peeking out through the sea mist. Read more.

Moving between sweeping curves and overt gestures of permanence, this Mangawhai home by Belinda George Architects opens up and reaches out to the estuarine landscape beyond, welcoming visitors and the view with a dynamic spatial interplay.
Conceived as a response to the wider natural environment, the home embraces it on many levels — some imperceptible and others grand. One of a handful of waterfront sections in a relatively new subdivision, the site borders a public coastal walkway that winds along the edge of the estuary. Read more.

Back House by Strachan Group Architects is a little home that makes the most of a sunny spot in the backyard. It’s as unpretentious as it is clever. Equal measures of economy and sustainability form the basis for this well-thought-out minor dwelling for a family of three.

Running south to north, the home is perched on poles, creating the sense of floating above the land to the west and north. The experience changes dynamically to the east, where the garden is dug into the hillside, creating a sense of grounding and a profound connection to the immediate leafy surrounds. Read more.

An abstract, monolithic, timber sculpture, Textured Bach by Nic Owen Architects, situated on the hills above Sumner is a highly successful experiment of tactility and plan, of function and art. 

As you approach the house, you see a low-lying form that obstructs your views of anything past it. The closer you get, the more funnelled the experience of the house becomes, as a high-pitched raking wall provides a flourish at the entry while disguising the exterior storeroom on the level below. Read more.

Architecture has the power to convey many messages, and this renovated 1920s home — Maungarāhiri by Scarlet Architects — is full of articulate expression. At its entrance, the past speaks in tandem with the present; a hipped roof conveys a sense of timelessness while a glazed porch extends a generous welcome. Much more is communicated within the thoroughly resolved family home.

From a light-filled entrance, circulation flows to the generous living areas, designed as an enduring space that would be comfortable and welcoming for family and guests, and where the iconic views across to Auckland’s Rangitoto come into sight. Read more.

The Wellington suburb of Brooklyn might be a world away from the ancient Chinese capital of Hangzhou, but the issues are the same: for many, the sky-high cost of construction brings the dream of home ownership crashing to earth.
That’s one reason Bonnifait + Associates Architects introduced their ‘FAB’ series, a project that began when a Chinese start-up asked them to design a prototype prefab house — a small, economical building with sustainable values that felt bigger than the sum of its parts. Read more.

At the gateway to Avondale town centre, this building of arches and brick by Marutūāhu-Ockham Group is a commanding presence that marks a change of face for one of West Auckland’s most populous suburbs.

On the corner of Great North Road and Ash Street, the twin forms, known as Aroha, stand at the entrance to the bustling heart of Avondale. On a slight ridge, the seven-storey buildings cover an 18-metre street frontage. Despite their sizeable volume they feel appropriate, sited next to mature trees that reach skyward beyond the roofline. Read more.