Brett Hulley Architecture

22/10/2026

This is what living in an off-grid tiny house in the middle of a forest for five years taught me.

This pic was taken nearly 10 years ago, while I built our tiny off-grid cabin among the 4ha native forest block my partner and I had just bought.

We'd just walked away from our comfy city lives in Wellington. For me, it was about living closer to nature (probably read a bit too much Thor Hyadal). For her, it was about minimising our impact and exploring self sufficiency.

Having just spent all our savings on the land, and being keen to keep our impact to a minimum, we settled on an 8.64-square-meters design using second hand materials which we called home for 5 years.

With an indoor footprint that small, the outdoors became our living room.

Looking back, that chapter was the ultimate masterclass in site-responsive design. Living that close to nature taught me to read an environment in a way that I don't reckon you can learn by reading a book, or watching videos.

They're lessons that I find myself bringing to every project, and they make a huge difference.
- Homes that you don't feel trapped in when the weather turns sour.
- Spaces that capture the sun and provide shade at the right times.
- Buildings that use the contours to their advantage, rather than fighting against them.
- The delight that comes from working with the existing ecosystem.

Nowadays I'm designing homes at the opposite end of the spectrum from our little cabin, but the lessons are always in the back of my mind when I'm designing.

Whether it's a coastal property exposed to the elements, or a home nestled among native bush, I'm a pretty firm believer that the best designs come from understanding the site first, before decisions are made about what to build.

16/10/2026

Finally got around to hanging this up!

I'm still buzzing a bit from having Canopy House recognised as a winner at the 2026 Living Future Oceania Biophilic Design Awards.

Feels pretty fitting to have the beautiful award hanging here on raw, sustainably sourced, local timber, surrounded by indoor and outdoor greenery - it feels right at home.

A really nice reminder of why I do what I do.

13/10/2026

Flattered to have one of my designs featured in a case-study like this alongside other giants in the industry.

If you're interested in learning more about the biophilic ideas behind this design, have a look.

Location: Whangārei, Aotearoa New Zealand Typology: Residential Site Area: 42000m2 Owner: Brett Hulley Architect: Brett Hulley Architecture

10/09/2026

Rural New Zealand probably has the best building sites in the world.

We've got a country oozing natural beauty, it's still mostly empty, and you're still allowed to own/build on most of it.

The result?

Sites that would make most of the world drool.

It's so easy to forget how lucky we are when we live rurally and it just becomes the norm, but it's true - we really are lucky!

And selfishly, rather than spending my days considering accoustic walls, fire separation, and shading from neighbouring buildings like urban architects need to. I get to spend my days designing for salt spray, wind exposure, views, sensitive ecosystems, and unstable topography.

Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway, just a little Friday reminder to appreciate the beautiful places we live in!

26/08/2026

Working up a small hexagonal home design at the moment.

There's something about strong natural geometries that really gets me going. Having those moments when things 'click' together when designing - practical spaces aligning with unique geometries - it feels like putting the final puzzle piece in, or finding space in a full fridge for that box of leftovers you can't bring yourself to throw out.

Maybe I just played too much Tetris as a kid.

Oh, and before you blame the AI render tool for getting carried away with the amount of interior plants - that's on me. I said "lots of interior plants please." 😅 (Ignore the obvious fire hazard of putting a Monsterra on top of your fireplace).

19/08/2026

In architecture, there's something way more important than good design, budget management, and detailing...

It's asking the right questions to begin with.

So cliché right, but it's actually true!

Every client has a dream, and the brief is how that dream gets from their head into the architect's.

Trouble is, most clients aren't experts at translating dreams into nuanced briefs that truly capture what's important to them, and how they like to live - that's our job.

It's easy to get the number of bedrooms, the size of the kitchen, and the color of the benchtops right.

It's much harder to know whether they enjoy looking at the view while sitting in a comfy chair, leaning on a balustrade with a b**r, or standing in the kitchen. Or if they'd rather their bedroom felt like a cosy nook to snuggle in to or an open expansive space to stretch your arms wide and breathe deeply.

If you don't ask the right questions, you won't fully understand the dream - and no amount of good design, budget management or detailing will magically solve that.

Oh, and just to throw a little spanner in the mix - the best questions vary from client to client!

Even though I'm a massive introvert, this is honestly one of the parts of the process I enjoy the most. Getting to understand the client, what's important to them, and how they ACTUALLY want their home to feel.

There's something really satisfying about getting on the same page as them.

05/08/2026

When I designed this home I didn't account for this...

This ruru has been using the verandah lights to hunt pūriri moths and huhu beetles at night.

It's cool to watch, but not if you're a huhu beetle or pūriri moth...

Time will tell whether the beetle/moth populations take a hit - but it's a good lesson about the impact that our buildings can have on sensitive environments.

Something that sticks with me when designing for rural or forested sites.

03/07/2026

Canopy House had been announced a winner ar the Biophilic Design Awards for the Building Scale Category!

Still can't believe it! To have this modest little design recognised, and in an award focused on biophilic design - something that's so close to my heart - is a huge milestone in my career.

Thanks to Living Future Oceania and everyone behind organising the awards, spreading awareness about biophilic design is really hearty work.



www.bharchitecture.co.nz

28/06/2026

It sounds odd, but architecture in rural and remote locations needs to connect AND disconnect from the elements.

This was on my mind the other night looking while back at our little home tucked up all snug in the trees like that after putting our new chooks to bed in their coop (suuuurely they'll figure it out for themselves one day).

You see a lot of buildings that do one really well, but not so much the other.
- A high-country cabin that hunkers down beautifully, but doesn't let you soak up the sun on the good days.
- A coastal retreat that lets the cool breeze through the spaces, but is uninhabitable when the cyclones roll through.

The key is to have both - the opportunity to connect with the outdoors when the weather's good, and to provide shelter and comfort when things turn sour.

That can be easier said than done.

But if you're planning a home somewhere rural or remote, just make sure you properly consider your site's specific climate, prevailing weather, sun paths, etc - and design to capture those moments (along with everything else of course - views, access, services, etc).

👍

21/06/2026

What if your house was designed around your site, rather than the other way around?

By understanding the land, the sun, the vegetation, the weather, and the views before design begins, it's possible to create homes that feel deeply connected to their surroundings.

Framing views. Capturing the winter sun. Sheltering from the wind... Working WITH the site, not against it.

It just makes sense.