While modular homes are not new to New Zealand, Click Houses prides itself on offering a unique take on modular residential systems.
The result of 15 years of research and development, Click commissioned Wingate Architects to design an economical and efficient architectural solution that can suit any block of land and any purpose.
Built offsite and then transported into place, Click Houses modular buildings (or Mods) can be autonomous and self-sufficient or plug into power and public drainage systems. The exterior is clad in timber cladding with glazed ends while, inside, the bright airy Mods stylishly expose laminated timber CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), underlining the sustainability behind the Click concept and acknowledging New Zealand’s abundance of timber.
“Upon being commissioned to design Click’s Mods, we noticed that there was a gap in the market for something that adhered to simple, functional principals of modular design, but retained some sense of having been thought-out architecturally,” says David Wingate of Wingate Architects.
“From what we’ve seen in New Zealand, some of the cheaper traditional modular homes have got the concept right, but the execution of design is lacking. In contrast, there are other ‘architecturally designed’ buildings out there, but aspects of the concept don’t work, or there’s too much flexibility within the design process.
“In this instance, limitations are in place on purpose. We want to keep everything confined within a box, and only offer a set number of varying boxes. But taken together, they deliver all sorts of possibilities for the owner.”
The idea behind the Click Mod system is that the landowner can choose to begin with one Mod and ‘click’ on more Mod’s as required over time. The design doesn’t have to end after the first installation on site; in fact, Click Houses even has a Mod specific to developing the house site in preparation for further liveable Mods to be added.
Click allows the landowner to design, build and adapt to whatever their specific requirements might be right now, or years down the track too.
The Mod designs comprise of three main components; the Lunar Mod; the Living Mod; and the Link Mod. Using these three elements, owners can create a design that works best for them.
The Lunar Mod is so-called because it’s designed to be sited on a piece of land as a first arrival or set-up structure.
“The Lunar Mod offers the basics to get a site running; power, water tanks and space for storage. It’s a kind of base designed to augment your caravan or motorhome perhaps; it allows you to establish a footprint on your new piece of land, even if you’re not sure what, where or when you want to build yet,” says David.
The Living Mod could be a first home or an addition to the land already being lived on. The living module comes in a variety of configurations and is designed to provide a suitable living space based on individual needs.
The Link Mod is a design feature that makes the Click configuration unique, acting as either an entrance way or as a functional connector between modules.
“The Mods have been designed to offer as much practicality and simplicity as possible. But the concept is also all about scalability meaning you could build one Mod or 20 of them. This reflects how more families are choosing to either live or holiday together too; the Click system could allow an extended family to share the same piece of land, but all having their own spaces on it,” says David.
Click Houses currently utilise a central warehouse where the Mod’s are constructed by the company’s inhouse team of craftspeople. Materials for the Mods are sourced locally, and Click Houses collaborate with New Zealand manufacturers to come up with build solutions that are cost efficient and minimise offcut wastage.
Through Wingate Architects the resource and building consent process is simplified. The standardised build process, materials and floorplans mean that eventually Click Houses will be able to be built by local tradespeople in any part of New Zealand, but always to the same standard and exhibiting the same levels of quality.
“We’re proud to be involved in this type of design project,” David concludes.
“These aren’t soulless traditional relocatables; they are compact and functional but also have real character and look good and function well as both a stand-alone dwelling and as several Click Mods linked together.”
