The award, which is sponsored by Altherm Window Systems, was presented at a reception in Auckland where local architect Michael O’Sullivan took out the top prize for a home on Karekare Beach.

Hansen said that the standard of the houses entered – the highest in his six years as editor – “didn’t make our task as judges easy.” The winning home, designed for former Waitakere City Mayor, Bob Harvey, and his wife, Barbara, nestles in the bush with stunning views to one of the most dramatic land and seascapes on Auckland’s wild west coast.

Other finalists were Richard Naish, of RTA Studio, Auckland, for his family’s own home in Grey Lynn, Marshall Cook, of Cook, Sargisson & Pirie, for a home on the Awhitu Peninsula, Daniel Marshall, of Daniel Marshall Architect Ltd, for a Remuera home, and Gerald Melling and Allan Morse, of Melling Morse Achitects, Wellington, for a Wellington bungalow.

This year’s award was the first sponsored by Altherm, an APL brand. Shane Walden, General Manager, Marketing, for APL (Architectural Profiles Ltd), said that the company was particularly pleased at the level of excellence that this year’s entries had demonstrated. “The awards are a good fit for us,” he said, “as Altherm has had a strong following with the architectural profession going back many decades.”

Altherm was also the sponsor for a lecture series by the international guest judge on the award panel, prominent Philadelphia architect, James Timberlake (who also performed a lecture series whilst in New Zealand, available in video instalments on ebossNOW).

At the award announcement the winning architect Michael O’Sullivan, of Bull/O’Sullivan Architecture Ltd, backgrounded his work on the Harvey house. Barbara Harvey also spoke amusingly of the design and construction process. O’Sullivan was a previous finalist in the Home of the Year Award (2009) for his own family home in Mangere Bridge.

The five finalists were chosen from a shortlist of 10 houses which the three-man panel, Hansen, Timberlake and Auckland architect Patrick Clifford visited over the course of a week. The other architects whose houses were shortlisted were Matt Brewer, of Cantilever Architects, (Little Oneroa House, Waiheke Island), Vaughan McQuarrie (Park Point House, Waiheke Island), Simon Twose (Wellington house), David Ponting and Matt Fitzgerald, of Ponting Fitzgerald Architects (Coatesville House) and Hugh Tennent, of Tennent + Brown Architects (Waiwhero Farm House).

Short films of every shortlisted house can be viewed at the HOME NZ blog, the Altherm Facebook page  or Altherm website.