Arête Architects Ltd.

Arête Architects Ltd. Arête was founded to create design-led, high-quality architecture that enhances the built environment and the experiences people have with it.

When I was a kid, a trip to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens usually meant feeding the ducks, a run around the playground, an...
03/06/2026

When I was a kid, a trip to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens usually meant feeding the ducks, a run around the playground, and finishing up at the old Croque-O-Dile Café. Looking back, it was probably my first ever café experience.

Thirty years later, I found myself designing a new café in the very same spot. It was a rare opportunity to work on a place I knew so well and had such a strong connection to growing up.

Rather than recreate what was there before, we wanted to give the Gardens something fresh, welcoming and full of life — a place where people can meet, gather, celebrate, and create memories of their own.

is a little bit of nostalgia, a little bit of fun, and the beginning of a new chapter for one of Dunedin’s most loved places.

Aster. A star in the garden.

Now open at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.

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This Mount Victoria, Wellington, renovation carefully balances heritage and contemporary living within the suburb’s hist...
29/05/2026

This Mount Victoria, Wellington, renovation carefully balances heritage and contemporary living within the suburb’s historic character overlay. The design respects the scale, rhythm, and identity of the existing villa while introducing a contemporary addition that feels connected rather than competing.

Added volume and lifted ceilings create generous new living spaces, drawing light deep into the home and opening it to air, warmth, and connection. High-level glazing, sculpted openings, and layered indoor–outdoor spaces bring new character and adaptability to the villa — proving that heritage homes can evolve to support modern inner-city living while remaining grounded in the qualities that make them special.

Under construction and due for completion in 2026.

Wellington is shaped by wind, hills, and a tradition of modest living. Its housing is small in scale, grounded in simple...
11/05/2026

Wellington is shaped by wind, hills, and a tradition of modest living. Its housing is small in scale, grounded in simple forms, and constructed from honest materials that weather and age with the land.

Buildings step with the hillside, expressing restraint and clarity rather than presence, and forming a streetscape that feels collected over time rather than composed in a single moment.

This project draws from that lineage. Informed by the workingman’s cottages and early villas of the suburb, the architecture prioritises proportion, rhythm, and durability,
allowing material, light, and shadow to do the work of expression.

Designed for long-term living and future generations, the proposal seeks to belong to Brooklyn’s hillside fabric —
quiet in its making, responsive to climate, and shaped by place rather than trend.

Charlotte Townhouses. On the drawing board now.

Set against the raw drama of the Southern Alps, Spur Ridge Rise is shaped by the land it sits on. The form steps, folds,...
04/05/2026

Set against the raw drama of the Southern Alps, Spur Ridge Rise is shaped by the land it sits on. The form steps, folds, and anchors into the slope—hugging the terrain rather than fighting it. Rooflines track the ridgeline, volumes shift with the gradient, and the building settles low into the site to reduce its presence against the mountainous backdrop.

Inside, that response softens. Warm timber linings, built-in moments, and intimate thresholds create a home that feels grounded and protective. Spaces compress and expand as you move through them—framing views out while holding a sense of shelter within. It’s a house of contrast: robust and embedded externally, rich and calm internally.

Architecture here isn’t imposed—it’s negotiated. A direct response to land, climate, and the rhythm of the slope.

Onsite now!

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mountainarchitecture contextualdesign slopedsite homedesign warminteriors timberarchitecture modernnz residentialarchitecture designresponse architecturelovers nzdesign wanakanz queenstownlife architecturedaily archinspiration

The Restricted SectionOnce upon a time, the “restricted section” lived behind a curtain at the back of the video store —...
13/02/2026

The Restricted Section

Once upon a time, the “restricted section” lived behind a curtain at the back of the video store — hidden, a little naughty, slightly off-limits.

Here, we’ve flipped that idea on its head.

The Restricted Section is a green oasis in suburbia. A home that quietly challenges the status quo — not through excess, but through intention. High-performance envelope. Carefully considered solar gain. Deep planting and layered landscaping that soften boundaries and blur inside with out. It’s environmentally green, yes — low energy, durable materials, built for longevity. But it’s also socially green — a place for family life to unfold, kids to roam, gardens to grow and seasons to be felt.

In a neighbourhood of predictable forms, this home leans forward. It questions what suburban living can be.

Sustainable. Warm. Slightly rebellious.

A modern family home that proves the most progressive ideas don’t belong behind a curtain — they belong front and centre.

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We’re thrilled to share that The Hill House has been named a City Home of the Year finalist in the 2026 .nz Home of the ...
02/02/2026

We’re thrilled to share that The Hill House has been named a City Home of the Year finalist in the 2026 .nz Home of the Year Awards — celebrating NZ’s best in residential design and architecture. Huge thanks to our amazing clients and collaborators for bringing this project to life — here’s to great design that connects with people and place.

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🔨: .4ara_paekawakawa

Small footprint. Big return.This garage + studio proves that compact buildings can punch well above their weight. Tucked...
19/01/2026

Small footprint. Big return.

This garage + studio proves that compact buildings can punch well above their weight. Tucked neatly into a Wellington site, it adds real, everyday functionality to an existing home—parking below, a flexible studio above.

The architecture leans into clarity and restraint: a simple mono pitched form, robust vertical metal cladding, and carefully placed openings that bring in light while maintaining privacy. The subtle curvature to the corners adds to the homogenous nature of the cladding. Inside, warm plywood linings, built-in furniture and tight planning make the space feel calm, efficient and generous well beyond its square metres. It’s honest, durable, and quietly confident—designed to work hard while still feeling like a pleasure to be in.

A reminder that you don’t need more space—just better space.

As the days get longer and the sand starts finding its way into everything, there’s no better place to wash off a beach ...
24/11/2025

As the days get longer and the sand starts finding its way into everything, there’s no better place to wash off a beach day than in a space that feels this considered.

From deep-toned tiles and soft brass to terrazzo, warm timber, and those framed coastal views — these bathrooms are all about calm, grounding moments at the edges of busy summer days. Designed to feel equal parts retreat and ritual.

Whether it’s rinsing off after a swim, cooling down after a trail run, or just taking five before the next barbecue, these spaces turn everyday routines into something a little more intentional.

The Silver Top, cream of the beachside batch crop - the gable form and corrugated cladding nod to the farm sheds that do...
16/09/2025

The Silver Top, cream of the beachside batch crop - the gable form and corrugated cladding nod to the farm sheds that dot the surrounding coastal/rural landscape. Clad in simple, robust materials, it sits lightly on the land while opening generously to the outdoors.

Sliding doors adorn the primary façade, allowing the batch to shift from locked-up and secure when away, to open and inviting when lived in. Inside, the lofty roof creates a bright, flexible heart of the home, complete with a tucked-away loft for kids and a seamless flow to vege gardens and the coastal air. A place for gathering, slowing down, and living simply with the rhythms of the sea.

Hoping to see this concept come to fruition in the new year!

The little project that could, did, again!We’re beyond thrilled to share that our Karaka Tower has been named a winner a...
26/08/2025

The little project that could, did, again!

We’re beyond thrilled to share that our Karaka Tower has been named a winner at the ICONIC AWARDS 2025 – a global stage that celebrates the very best in design and architecture. Selected from over 560 submissions across 40+ countries, this recognition places our studio alongside some of the world’s leading designers, architects, and innovators.

The Karaka Tower is a creative response to a steep, vegetated site and an open-ended brief. Designed as a 9 sqm modular tower, prefabricated offsite and helicoptered into place, it gave our clients space for their growing family and artistic pursuits while minimising disruption to the land. For us, this award is more than a trophy – it’s recognition of Kiwi ingenuity, modular construction; what’s possible when design meets challenge, and that small can often have a big impact.

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17 Wharf Street
Wellington
9011

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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