‘We didn't want something that was average’: Rural family builds an accidental award-winning home

Thursday, 11 June 2026

Tracy O'Connor and George Meyer's home won at the Canterbury Architecture Awards for its modern design that connects to its rural setting.

The property sits on George's family farm in Loburn, north of Christchurch.

Despite its large scale, the couple wanted the home to feel like a warm hug rather than grandiose or intimidating.

When Tracy O'Connor and George Meyer first started planning their forever home in a picturesque rural corner of Canterbury, winning awards was never on their mood board.

First and foremost, the couple needed a functional space for their two young girls, as well as somewhere to accommodate visiting whānau and friends. It also needed to be warm and comfortable, and preferably off-grid. Anything else was a bonus.

Well, that bonus arrived last week when their property was voted among the best in the region at the Canterbury Architecture Awards.

The judges called the 422m² four-bedroom home “modern”, saying it was “connected to its setting while remaining clearly contemporary”.

“Materials are carefully chosen for quality and durability, sitting naturally within the rural environment. The scale and proportions feel calm and well balanced throughout.

“The views of the mountains and surrounding landscape are carefully framed and brought into the home, creating a strong connection to place and adding a quiet sense of generosity to the design.”

The property sits on 27 hectares of George’s family farm in Loburn, north of Christchurch, where his parents, Robbie and Jane Meyer, have worked the land sustainably for years.

“They have respected the land,” says Tracy. “George's dad took out pine hedges and put in native hedges, and I've always been kind of in awe whenever I look around their farm.”

The couple had one simple, clear vision for the home.

“We didn't want to build something that was average.

“We really wanted to build something that honoured the space, the location and the history that George's family has on this property,” says Tracy.

To bring that vision to life, the couple enlisted Robert Bosma from Three Sixty Architecture. But he thought he'd blown the initial meeting.

“I drove out there to Loburn to meet them and have a walk around the paddocks. With me being a townie boy, I rocked up in my nice, shiny clean car with shiny, clean shoes on, only to be dragged around paddocks in four inches of mud for two hours,” he says with a smile.

“Then I got back to the car to find it had been dive-bombed by every bird in the neighbourhood. I walked away thinking, ‘Oh crikey, I think I've blown this.’ But thankfully they saw through that and carried on with us.”

One of the key priorities was making the landscape part of the home itself. The house looks out towards Mt Thomas, Mt Karetu and Mt Grey.

“We have three gables, which kind of reflect the surrounding mountains,” says Tracy.

“We had a clear vision of bringing the outside in and having the house reflect the landscape.”

Bosma says everyone was on the same page straight away.

“It really does make our job easier.”

The interiors were designed to feel calm, but not without character.

“We wanted there to be areas of tension and release,” says Tracy. “That is something that I think is really important in all artistry, whether it's music, design or architecture.

“You can't just have things that are big scale. You also need areas where there are more intimate experiences and communication can happen.”

Natural materials feature heavily throughout, with timber, earthy browns and sandy tones creating a palette that complements the surroundings.

Keeping it simple was key.

“We didn't want to pull attention away from the outside … we haven't hung much art because the art is outside.”

The home is powered by 48 ground-mounted solar panels, backed by a 32-kilowatt-hour battery and generator. Rainwater is collected and filtered through a UV treatment system.

“We have a large fire imported from France,” says George. “It can take extremely large logs and puts out a huge amount of heat, which warms the house, so it's quite satisfying.”

Acknowledging that the weather can be unforgiving in this part of the country, the home has been positioned for maximum protection from harsh winters and scorching summers.

George says they wanted outdoor spaces that could be enjoyed year-round.

“In Canterbury we have the cold easterly wind that everyone complains about. We wanted to create spaces where we could be outside in the evenings during summer, and we've managed to achieve that.”

The build took a year and, for the most part, went smoothly. The couple have nothing but praise for Falloon Builders in Kaiapoi and say they loved the entire process.

But one feature that raised a few eyebrows was the sunken living room.

“I assure you, this is not Boogie Nights,” laughs Tracy, referring to the infamous Mark Wahlberg movie.

“It kind of mimics the flow of the land. The land drops away on the western side of the house, so we created an area where the room steps down and follows that contour.”

Bosma says he knew the house was going to stand out on day one.

“We stood on the site on a beautiful sunny day, and it dawned on me that this is a really special place.

“Having a conversation with them about the history, about the family farm, about wanting to put down roots — this is a house for their generation, but also for the next generation. That's when it dawns on you that there's a bit of a special responsibility here.”

Despite its scale, Tracy says the home never feels imposing.

“We built a really big house, but we didn't want it to feel grandiose or intimidating. We wanted people to walk in and feel at home immediately.

“It feels kind of like a warm hug.”