Millbrook home up for top honours at awards

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The character-filled home designed by Arrowtown builder Allister Saville for the Hourigan and Hill families from Wellington, for which he is a finalist in the National Registered Master Builders 2007 House of the Year awards

Media Release
September 11 2007

Millbrook home up for top honours at premier property awards

Arrowtown-based company AJ Saville Builder Limited is up for top honours once again at national level for a $1million-plus home at five-star Millbrook Resort.

Owner Allister Saville is a finalist in the National Registered Master Builders 2007 House of the Year awards for his character-filled home for the Hourigan and Hill families from Wellington.

Mr Saville, whose company won last year’s competition in the new homes over $1 million category and also won the Pink Batts Ultra Energy Efficiency Award, is one of only ten finalists from around New Zealand.

The awards recognise excellence, quality and innovation in building work.

Mr Saville described this year’s entry as “a tradesman house that demanded real workmanship”, using lots of exposed and rustic timber and old bridge beams sourced from Australia.

“This house required lots of time and patience,” he said.

The character of the home was strongly based on the history of the area, Mr Saville said, where the architecture and the landscape expressed a rural tranquility and held a strong connection to traditional designs in place at Millbrook, Arrowtown and Central Otago.

“This house is a true representation of country living in 2007,” says Saville.

“It is focused around a common theme that integrates traditional chimneys, timber and stone clad separate areas, and cedar window and door proportions that leave an impression of architecture that blends into its surroundings.

“Internal patterned textures of stone, steel, granite and timber combine true contemporary living but with a strong bias to the past. Consistent tree planting, rock walling, garden colour, wall and paving elements all continue the Millbrook landscape tradition.”

The architect, Haden Emslie, ensured the house opened up towards the golf course, celebrating the open rolling character of the landscape, and avoiding an ‘urban’ appearance.

Mr Saville is one of Millbrook’s regular builders who has built 12 homes at the award-winning resort in the past six years, and will be working on homes in the planned Millbrook West development. He has been a regional finalist nine times since 1999 and a national finalist four times.

Millbrook Property and Development Manager Ben O’Malley said the resort was delighted to have a builder of Mr Saville’s standing working at the resort.

“Even though the design guidelines are relatively restrictive at Millbrook, to ensure consistency in standards, the fact that Allister’s work consistently rates among the best in the country proves that he, and architects, can work within those boundaries to create timeless and striking buildings.”

ENDS

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