Girvan

A Christchurch riverside home balancing open views with private outdoor living

AO Architecture designed Girvan as a new family home beside the Avon River in Christchurch. The river frontage looks across towards Riccarton House and Riccarton Bush, but it is also the more public side of the site, with visitors moving through the area nearby. The house therefore opens to the outlook while creating a more sheltered courtyard on the opposite side for everyday family use.

Open to the river, private behind

The main living spaces sit between two very different outdoor conditions. On the river side, large areas of glazing open towards the lawn, water and established trees beyond. That edge of the house feels expansive and connected to the wider landscape.

On the opposite side, the courtyard is more enclosed and sheltered. It provides the private outdoor space for the family, away from the more public river frontage.

Moving through the living areas, you remain aware of both sides – the broad river outlook in one direction and the protected courtyard in the other.

Opening up through the centre

The site narrows towards the street before widening further back, so the house changes character as you move through it. A central stair void introduces height and daylight into the interior, creating a stronger sense of volume before the plan opens into the main living areas.

The double-height space is not only about circulation. It breaks up the longer route through the house and gives the centre of the plan a more generous vertical dimension.

Building lightly on difficult ground

Poor loadbearing ground limited the use of heavier construction. Instead of relying on solid concrete walls, the design uses a lightweight plaster system to achieve a concrete-like appearance without adding the same structural weight.

That decision allowed the house to retain the more solid visual character we wanted while responding to the actual ground conditions beneath it.

At the river edge, the architecture becomes lighter again, with broad glazing opening the living spaces back towards the lawn, trees and water.

Girvan courtyard elevation with grey upper walls, narrow vertical windows and timber deck beside the lawn.
Girvan garden elevations showing the two-storey house, dark timber living wing and outdoor decks beside the river landscape.
Girvan living wing opening onto the lawn, with dark timber cladding beneath a concrete upper-level form.
Sheltered upper balcony at Girvan with glass balustrade overlooking the lawn, Avon River and mature trees.
Girvan double-height stair hall with timber storage wall, carpeted stairs and daylight entering through tall glazing.
Girvan kitchen with dark cabinetry, timber island front and copper pendant lights above the long worktop.
Girvan living and dining room opening completely through large sliding doors to the timber deck and riverside garden.
Girvan open-plan living, dining and kitchen area with leather seating and broad glazing toward the river garden.
Girvan courtyard at dusk with timber deck, outdoor dining and large openings into the living wing.
Girvan entrance at dusk with dark timber garage and lower walls beneath a concrete two-storey upper form.
Girvan river elevation at dusk, with wide glazed living spaces facing the lawn and water beneath mature trees.

Accurate Instruments

Straven

North Frame Pedestrian Bridge

Revelation I