Architecta is an architectural design practice with the purpose of realising your vision.At Architecta we believe that a good building is the result of a transparent, harmonious and enthusiastic relationship between designer, client and consultants.
View our portfolio
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MERIVALE HOME 1
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10 TOWNHOUSES
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SMALL AFFORDABLE ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSE DESIGNS
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HILL HOUSE
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LOW ENERGY HOME
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MERIVALE FAMILY HOME 2
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NEW BRIGHTON BUNGALOW
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BUILDERS HOUSE
About
Susanne Schade is a passionate advocator for sustainable design.
"As an architectural designer my work has a huge impact on our environment, and I strive to minimise the environmental impact of the buildings I design by recommending sustainable materials and energy efficient solutions to my clients."
- Abode magazine Sep/Oct 2015
Having over 20 years of experience as an architect in Europe and architectural designer in New Zealand, director Susanne formed Architecta to provide energy efficient and sustainable solutions within New Zealand.
We specialize in delivering architectural services for residential and commercial buildings, new builds, alterations and additions from the concept design right through to the project finish, while advising our clients about the newest technologies and construction methods. Our network includes all building related consultants that support us to achieve our goals.
With energy efficient housing becoming increasingly important within the building industry Architecta can offer solutions such as Passive House design creating a healthy, warm and dry interior environment, or Prefabrication minimizing the costs and duration of the building process.
At Architecta we are passionate about "Passive House Design".
A Passive House is defined as a building which can maintain indoor air temperature
above the WHO recommended minimum of 18 degrees without any active
heating or cooling systems.
The house heats and cools itself, hence the term “passive “
Initially developed by the “Passivhaus Institut Darmstadt” in Germany (founded 1995)
the Passive House concept has become the worldwide leading standard for
energy efficient design and superior comfort.
Unlike the “Passive Solar Design” approach, a Passive House does not rely on solar
gain and thermal mass.
SPECIALITIES:
Passive House Design
Small Houses
Residential
Commercial
Modern
Beach House
Alterations
Multi-Unit Apartments
Designs for people with disabilities
"
Susanne - I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you from initial concept design through to handover of my building consent. It has been a very long journey, which has gone very smoothly considering we started the design process within months of the February earthquake and you expertly navigated my project through the numerous city council stumbling blocks.
Thank you for listening to my requests and always checking back with me for clarity, I am sure this has made all the difference and saved us both a lot of time. Now that part of my project is completed, it is so nice to be able to stand inside and say, "I love it and you have made my vision a reality"
LJ, Lincoln Rd Project 2014
Hi Susanne
Now that we have been in the house 4 months, we wanted to let you know how delighted we are with it and how very grateful we are for all your invaluable work in bringing our ideas to life.
We are completely in love with our new hill house and really enjoy spending as much time as possible in it.
It's very quiet and peaceful and supports our lifestyle and activities just as we had hoped it would.
You have perfectly balanced the window framing of the views leaving enough wall space for our art and photographs and the advice you gave us to achieve superior insulation and design efficiency is also just as we wanted. The two outdoor living spaces work well and their intelligent positioning has enhanced our enjoyment of the summer.
We really appreciated the way you worked with us to realise the most important aspects of our brief and to enhance it beyond what we imagined. We felt you listened extremely well but were appropriately assertive about things you felt were important. The availability of the 3D modeling while in the planning stage helped us to better understand the plans as well.
In fact we are so satisfied with your design that we plan on staying here for the rest of our days(!) - but if we were ever tempted to build again be assured you would be our first choice of architect.
We would like to thank you so very much for all of the above as well as your approachable professionalism at all times.
Warm regards,
We really appreciated the way you worked with us to realise the most important aspects of our brief and to enhance it beyond what we imagined. We felt you listened extremely well but were appropriately assertive about things you felt were important. The availability of the 3D modeling while in the planning stage helped us to better understand the plans as well.
In fact we are so satisfied with your design that we plan on staying here for the rest of our days(!) - but if we were ever tempted to build again be assured you would be our first choice of architect.
We would like to thank you so very much for all of the above as well as your approachable professionalism at all times.
Warm regards,
Julie and Stuart =
Susanne from Architecta immediately got the feel of our old house (which had to be demolished post-quake) and of our lifestyle, and designed a replacement that fitted us well. It was a pleasure to work with someone who shared our sustainability ideals and had a great depth of knowledge. We were immensely grateful for her professional support and guidance through all the aspects of the build, and would thoroughly recommend Architecta.
Prue and Brian =
