A Khandallah home overlooking Wellington Harbour has picked up three honours at the 2026 Wellington regional ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards.
Khandallah House, designed by Mike Holmes of Holmes Architecture, was recognised after a major renovation transformed a cold, leaky bungalow into a warm, modern family home.
The project won the Regional Award for Home Interiors, was commended in Residential Alterations and Additions, and was highly commended for Resene Colour in Design.
The house sits on a steep site above Wellington Harbour, with the redesign focused on improving warmth, light and the connection between the home and its surroundings.
ADNZ judges said Holmes had transformed the challenging site into a striking, light-filled home.
“Using clerestory glazing to spill natural light deep into interiors, Mike elevated a simple form into a refined, dynamic architectural response.”
Keryn Davis, chief executive of Architectural Designers New Zealand, said the winning projects reflected both the quality of Wellington architecture and the region’s landscape.
“Wellington’s beauty sets the backdrop for many of these award-winning designs, allowing creativity to flow and landscapes to be centre point, however the ability of these designers to capture the scenery and to call on it throughout the design is something to be recognised.”
Khandallah House was one of eight Wellington-region projects recognised at the awards on 21 August.
The regional winners will now go forward to the National ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards in Auckland on 30 October.
