Wellington new-build perfectly tailored for retiring in style

Written by

17 August 2022

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3 min read

A bespoke formed-concrete house filled with art, books and music delivers a solid base for easy living.

The ideal retirement looks different for everybody. For these homeowners, the vision was a move out of Wellington to the holiday town of Eastbourne, into a contemporary pavilion home – nothing too ostentatious – with mid-century inspiration and space for their art collection and piano.

“We provided a canvas for them to inhabit,” says Richard Beatson of Studio Pacific Architecture in Wellington.

Eastbourne, across the harbour from the city, has traditionally been a getaway for Wellingtonians, says Richard. “People would go over for the weekend on the old ferries, or even go out for day trips, and they still do.”

One of the pair grew up in Eastbourne so for them it really was like moving home. “They just wanted a peaceful place to settle down.”

Most sections on the street are small, but this house sits over two adjacent sites so consideration was given to the surrounding environment. “The house is in a quiet, tree-lined, suburban street and is located to align with adjacent houses. From an architectural point of view you want it to sit well within the neighbourhood. I think everyone wants that.”

The three-bedroom home in Wellington’s Eastbourne is predominantly formed-concrete and cedar, says Richard Beatson of Studio Pacific Architecture. “The material palette is deliberately limited to maintain clarity in the design. It’s a contemporary interpretation of a mid-century style in scale, form and materiality.”

“The clerestory windows really unlock the centre of the house. The stud height is nearly four metres in here, and glazed all around. The concrete wall down the middle is a very strong pivot point between all parts of the house and becomes a gallery space.”

The house is predominantly textured, board-formed concrete and vertical cedar weatherboards. The concrete is highly crafted, says Richard. “It has very strong visual properties. And it’s quite haptic as well, you can hardly resist touching it. As it’s poured in-situ, you get out of it what you put into it, and of course you don’t get a second chance. But the character of the concrete with the warmth of the timber gives a real richness.”

Two eye-catching features in the formed concrete are the chimney towers, although only one is actually a chimney – the one at the front of the house contains services and storage. “Effectively they anchor the roof and ground the house.”

Richard says the roof is one of the house’s strong mid-century elements. “It’s a distinctively flat roof with quite a refined edge, and provides generous overhangs to the living space,” he says. Another nod to that design era is that the cedar wall cladding is brought through from inside to out.

“It’s generously clad in cedar on the interior,” says Richard. “There are a couple of concealed doors in the hallway, hidden in the cedar lining. Push in the right place and the door pops open.” They access storage and a powder room and are designed to keep the flow of the wall uninterrupted.

Also running down the hallway is a formed concrete wall. “It’s the strong spine of the house and really delineates private and public functions.”

Studio Pacific Architecture also designed the kitchen. “We do like to do the kitchens as well, they’re really a focus in any house.”

The client requested a black kitchen, says Richard, and they sourced their own stone for the benchtop. The tapware is by Dornbracht and the sink is Burns & Ferrall.

The homeowners have extensive art and ceramics collections. A niche in the formed concrete was created to display a sculptural piece. Real Fires fireplaces face both the living area and the den.

The entry gallery has high clerestory glazing around the edges providing ventilation and natural light to the centre of the house and creating a gallery space for the homeowners’ art collection.

The open plan living areas also had to house a baby grand piano. “There were various spots considered for that, it was certainly about trying to find an ideal space that was protected from the sun.”

Behind the double-sided fireplace is a secondary living room with desk space, television and concealed audio equipment and a window seat in a sunny spot. “It's a bit of a luxury,” says Richard of the extra space.

He says the design process with the homeowners was very collaborative. “They were open to ideas and good at giving us direction, but also knowing when to stand back. They are probably among the best clients I’ve ever had, it was really enjoyable.”

“Externally it’s all insulated concrete,” says Richard, “and we have a hydronically heated concrete floor and walls that are exposed to the sun, which allows us to get a good passive solar gain. Concrete is an interesting material. While the house has rectilinear forms, concrete is quite malleable by nature. It’s low-maintenance and with some craft and care can give a texturally sophisticated aesthetic. Properly used it can help to store and conserve solar energy for a more stable internal temperature gradient.”

Lighting is by Lightplan and the carpet is Bremworth.

A floating wing wall on the right screens the terrace from southerly winds and provides a sense of enclosure. The cosy window seat in the den area looks over the garden.

“The house incorporates a warm roof construction that allows us to better control the internal thermal environment and reduce overall heating demands,” says Richard.