DNA House
By Crosson Architects
Otama Beach
- NZIA Local Award 2018 / Waikato Bay of Plenty
Designed as a retreat for a New York City based family, the DNA house is an exercise, in contrast, delight, strength, and elevation.
A series of bi-folding perforated metal screens surround the home, serving to filter light and provide an element of protection when the home is unoccupied. The DNA of the family was sampled and the coded patterns were then combined to form the delicately structured perforation pattern.
The house is at once sleekly recessive and boldly sculptural – having been described as an otherworldly form, having seemingly landed on the beach, opening and closing in concert with the lives of its travellers.
The experience of arrival to the front door and the lower level promenade is a continuation of the meandering journey taken from either the beach or from the road to the Otama settlement. A series of steps and ramps provide for more of a soft and easy journey and serve to elevate the arrival.
The lower level houses the two bedrooms and a bathroom for each. Timber lined walls provide warmth, softness and enclosure, with all spaces opening directly to the outside and the perimeter transitional space. A floor hatch with rope ladder access provides for an additional direct and energetic connection.
Ascending the steel framed suspended timber stair to the living zone above, an open plan layout is surrounded by generous roof overhangs, lifting to the views and helping to define the zones within, and the large deck. A roof hatch at the apex allows for a connection to the sky at night for stargazing.
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DNA House
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DNA House
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About the
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Crosson Architects is an Auckland based architectural practice with an exceptional portfolio of work. Past projects include residential, commercial, institutional, masterplanning and urban design developments. Ken Crosson and his team have won numerous architectural awards locally and internationally with work being regularly published here and around the world.
Our commitment to providing a superior service to our clients is extended with membership in Designgroup New Zealand, enabling larger scale projects to be undertaken, drawing on a range of resources and expertise from partnering practices. We strive for the highest standards of client service, design and documentation. At the completion of each project, the aim is to have achieved a building that is beyond the client's expectations. We believe good design will produce sustainable, functional and dramatic spaces and buildings that have an enduring quality over time.
Each project is analysed for its special requirements and opportunities: the end result being not a preconceived idea, but a combination of the client's requirements and desires, a response to the site and the budget. Critical consideration is given to the project's specific environmental and historical context, and to the appropriate use of materials and construction methods.
At the heart of the process is the collaboration between the client and the architect. At Crosson Architects we create – and the process is vigorous and robust, rich and rewarding. Amongst other elements, we consider the physical, psychological and spiritual – achieving an outcome that is unique and life-enhancing.
We would love to offer you the opportunity to realise your dream with Ken and the team at Crosson Architects.
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