The simple adage 'change is constant' frequently bandied about often belies the determination it takes to keep pace with, adapt to, and indeed capitalise on change, particularly when it comes to our built environment.

The catchphrase 'people make the place' was devised to capture the sentiment that communities are the sum of their parts and are functions of the kinds of people they contain.

The plight of the planet coupled with the widely advocated virtues of medium density housing have cast a bright spotlight on this architectural typology and its potential to rise to the sustainability challenge.

Perhaps the most disrupting aspect of the Echo Valley Villa is that the villa - as in the pure Victorian type so well known in New Zealand - has been so radically re-interpreted that it's almost not there.