On a steep Kohimarama site, a Ziegel block house won one of New Zealand’s most watched architectural awards. The timber detailing was Woodsmith’s.
There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from knowing exactly where your work sits in a finished building. Not described in a brochure or referenced on a plan but in the framing of the photographs - and the judges’ citation.
Woodsmith was the specialist timber contractor on the project named City Home of the Year 2026 by Home of Architecture.
The home, designed by Daniel Marshall Architects and built on a tight, four-storey site in Kohimarama, is an architectural exercise in material contrast and spatial generosity. Clay Ziegel blocks imported from Germany. Triple-glazed Nordic spruce joinery. Lime-plastered walls that shift with the light. And running through it, both inside and out, the warm grain of natural timber.
That timber detail is Woodsmith’s work. The interior and exterior vertical timber slats. The decking and all of its framing. The cedar soffits at the entrance. The driveway crate and bridge that leads across a dip in the land to the front door. Up on the rooftop terrace, more vertical slats forming the privacy screening that turns what could have been an exposed platform into what the Home of Architecture judges called a secret oasis of calm. Scope that reads cleanly enough on a specification sheet but demanded considerably more in the execution.
Hiding the structure
The interior vertical slats were the most technically demanding element. They needed to satisfy the structural engineer’s requirements - safely fixed, load-bearing where required - while disappearing into the architecture. The two ambitions were, at first, in tension.
“Trying to make the slats structurally safe and strong to comply with the engineer’s requirements while also making them look good and seamless - that was the challenge,” says Woodsmith founder Mike Smith.
The solution came in two parts. First, slim timber fillets were embedded in each slat to conceal the steel brackets securing the timber to the floor and ceiling - a detail Mike and the Woodspeople developed on site. Then, the bolts originally specified were removed entirely in favour of a structural adhesive, eliminating any surface fixing and achieving a finish with no visible interruption.
The slats are evenly spaced and cleanly fixed. On a project where the judges specifically noted the way “small details constantly ignite delight,” that level of care in the timber work was not incidental.
Thinking ahead of the specification
For Mike, the technical outcome is a reflection of how Woodsmith approaches a build. Plans and specifications define the intent but it’s the builder’s job to interrogate them.
“You can throw specs and plans at us, but we always consider what’s going to provide the cleanest finish,” he says. “We like to challenge ourselves - to think outside the box and adapt our approach if that means the end result is more visually appealing.”
That instinct shows in the material outcome. Cedar is a timber that can feel rustic in the wrong context. Here, set against the hard geometry of Ziegel block and the organic texture of artisanal lime plaster, it does something different. It warms the space. It gives the eye somewhere to rest.
“It’s such a cool mix of materials,” says Mike. “From the hard looking plaster and block to the soft warming look of natural cedar.”
What the award reflects
The Home of Architecture judges described the home as warm, solid, and quietly luxurious - proof, in their words, that sustainable thinking and architectural generosity can coexist on even the most compact urban sites. For a build of this calibre, every trade is held to the same standard the architecture sets. The timber work had to perform at the level the project demanded.
“We loved having the Woodsmith team involved in our architectural build. Their carpentry and technical expertise is exceptional, and Mike’s communication is fantastic.” - Homeowner
If you’re planning an architectural renovation or new build in Auckland’s Eastern Bays, you might also find our post useful on when to involve a builder in your renovation or if you’re ready to talk through your project, we’d love to hear from you.
