Following on from its win in the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Southern Branch awards, the Cardrona Cabin has
gone on receive a New Zealand Architecture Award.
This latest acknowledgement in New Zealand’s leading architecture awards programme was announced last night at an awards
ceremony in Christchurch.
Built as a showcase by eco-timber company, Abodo Wood, the Cardrona Cabin has become known as a ‘chapel to craft’.
The craft - in the Abodo eco-timbers used throughout, in the exceptional design by Assembly Architects which takes an
abstracted gable form of a Central Otago stone shed, and in the build by Dunlop Builders who crafted every aspect with
meticulous detail.
The relationship between all three, the material, the design and the construction – has resulted in this award-winning
showcase (the cabin also recently won the Retail Category at the Interior Awards).
Most importantly, the showcase is just that. The cabin demonstrates the Abodo range of thermally modified timber
products in practice: cladding, structure, linings, flooring, fenestration, joinery, furnishing and fence posts showcase
the products.
With an important message - no longer can we use slow grown, imported timbers to build premium homes and structures.
This building is a showcase of what can be achieved when we think differently - it is designed to inspire others.
Abodo timbers are sourced from rapidly renewable FSC® certified New Zealand plantations that help to mitigate climate
change by absorbing vast amounts of carbon.
With extensive use of Vulcan timber in the interior and exterior, over 9 tonnes of carbon is stored in the Vulcan timber
elements alone, dramatically offsetting the small amounts of concrete and structural steel used in the building.
Using state-of-the-art thermal modification and grain orientation technology, we can craft beautiful timbers that stand
the test of time, reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, without disadvantaging future generations.
"We didn't build the Cardrona Cabin to win awards - although they have been gratefully received. We built the cabin to
showcase New Zealand's finest product design, architectural design and craftsmanship." – Daniel Gudsell, Abodo Founder