Herbst Architects

Shelter Yourself: Build your great reputation with a sustainable space.

Even though they’re from South Africa, architects Lance and Nicola Herbst had no trouble mastering the aesthetic of the traditional Kiwi bach. Their collection of holiday homes, predominantly on Great Barrier Island (where they have their own holiday spot), are simple yet extremely effective, and designing them led the husband and wife team towards producing sustainable architecture. “We came to it more by default at first,” says Lance. “There are no services on Great Barrier Island, so that drove us to look at things like photovoltaics, solar water heating, water collection and even self-composting toilets. The early baches were really low-key. The only electrics were a 12-volt circuit for a few lights.” With generators generally out of the question thanks to noise controls, the Herbsts focused on “keeping things small, keeping things simple,” so as to minimize power and water requirements. Later, working on beach house projects brought the challenge of finding low-maintenance materials that didn’t need painting, and the possibility of incorporating wind-power technology. “When you’re working on something that doesn’t have all the services right there, you realise that every resource you use is finite,” Lance explains. Now the pair hope to turn their knowledge to more urban development, like their Alberon Apartments project in Auckland. “We would love to work on more like that. We certainly believe in densification, in city living,” Lance says. “From every point of view, avoiding urban sprawl makes sense.”
www.herbstarchitects.co.nz