Birkenhead House

The clients requested a family home that connected to the sun and the views, a place to enjoy with family and friends as a retreat from their busy work lives. The site is of a triangular nature falling from its widest portion at Hinemoa Street to the waters edge of the Auckland inner harbour. The challenge was to make the most of the panorama offered by the steep section and to fit a family home into a tight building envelope. The proposed dwelling is of three levels with a lower ground floor containing four bedrooms, storage and bathroom facilities, a ground floor level that contains the kitchen, dining, main living areas and garaging and the second floor that contains the master bedroom, en-suite, wardrobe and a study. Terraces flow off the main living areas connecting to a swimming pool to the north side of the upper site. The idea was to relate the building forms of the proposed house to the rectangular nature of the existing neighbouring buildings and other houses within the streetscape in terms of the materials, positioning and forms used. The house is positioned within the slope of the site allowing for the house to sit within the planning controls of height in relation to boundary. It also allows the house to be positioned similar to other houses on the street. The positioning also allows the house to relate to the natural contours of the land and the longitudinal, main focus of the house to the harbour view and a connection to the sun at the north and west connections off the main living areas. The roofs are sloping and directional towards the street and relates to many of the other houses within the street creating a continuous streetscape. Photography - Patrick Reynolds