Peder Hansen's Anawhata House?
A 1980s Design Student Tech visit, a 2025 Anawhata Gravel Bike Ride
I often wonder if this Anawhata house, a cleverly arranged collection of nested tilted geometric sections, was inspired by another?
The 1980s Design Student Visit
Peder Hansen was a Design Tutor—I think part time, not on staff—at Carrington Technical Institute (now Unitec Institute of Technology) in the 1980s when I did my Product Design Diploma.
In those days Product and Interior Design Students had a common syllabus for the first year, only specialising for the final two. Peder taught us across several subjects—design, some drawing, and furniture/model craft—over the years but the photos below are from a 'site visit' to a house under construction in Anawhata, Waitakere Ranges, West Auckland.
Peder was involved in the design and build, but I'm fairly sure it wasn't his house. I also recall that in addition to its unique design and construction it had one of the first composting (not long drop) toilets that Waitakere Council had approved, and he was part of steering that through the consent process.
The date on the, recently rediscovered, photo prints suggest this visit was in our final year, 1986, and those present aligns with that. I suspect we all—Product and Interior—went as the house was an interesting mix of architecture, manufacturing, and 'industrial' design, plus it was a good day out!
There's one photo that's not the house—second from right bottom row with the small wood fire—as it is the interior of the house bus the owners were living in on-site during the build.
The Gravel Bike Ride
I think of Peder every time I cycle past as Anawhata Road is part of a favourite local trail/gravel ride. 2025 me would like to ask him more about the design and construction, but any opportunity to do that ceased in 2013. Vale Peder Hansen.
It is close to the road, still occupied, but I've not seen anyone outside when I pass. I'm curious to see what the current owners know of its history, maybe one day I'll get the courage to knock on the front door...
Peder in the Te Papa Museum Collection
One of Peder's furniture designs is preserved in the Te Papa Museum Of New Zealand Collection.
My 1990s Furniture work
We did a chair design project at tech—I think it's almost compulsory for design courses to include one—but a decade later those skills came in useful when I was designing one-off furniture for a small manufacturing company. I doubt it will end up in Te Papa!
Reference
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
