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Story: Domestic architecture

Athfield's philosophy

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During the 1970s Wellington-based architects Ian Athfield and Roger Walker were instrumental in redefining modern domestic architecture. Inspired by New Zealand's colonial buildings, they dispensed with the open planning of post-war homes and reintroduced multiple small places, to which they gave individual expression. In this 1979 television documentary, Athfield discusses what made his houses distinctive. 

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Architect Athfield. National Film Unit, 1979

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Julia Gatley, Domestic architecture – Late modern domestic architecture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/45073/athfields-philosophy (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Julia Gatley, published 17 April 2014.