Hikuai Hill House

Hikuai Hill House banner
About

Awards
Waikato and Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards – Housing - 2020
Perched on a knoll overlooking sleepy farmland and an alluvial valley, the site looks out to The Pinnacles and to the Tairua River.
This house is comprised of two rectangular structures, one clad in larch while the other in long run steel. 
A floating gabled roof encloses a central pavillion containing the public spaces of the house, the kitchen, dining and living area from which a covered deck extends out to the west. 
Taking cues from the rural vernacular of farm buildings, in both structure and materiality, the house is simple and uncomplicated, designed to sit lightly on the land.
A sliding door clad in larch was envisioned as a barn-style door, designed to move across both outdoor area and lounge wall to provide a versatile level of shelter as required.
Seamless connection with the land was a key driver for the design.
A cedar batten ceiling conceals a translucent roofing sheet above the deck that allows dappled light into the area when the sun is high. 
Looking out to The Pinnacles, this covered deck is one of two outdoor living options offering close connection to the land and views. 
An exposed concrete slab is combined with simple materials dominated by timber with a whitewashed ply ceiling.
Negative detailing in the ceiling accentuates the panel pattern. 
Views are carefully framed with full height glazing. 
Timber cabinetry with cedar handles highlights the connection between external and internal material palettes.
Simple functionality and natural, durable materials were specified for the kitchen. 
Views from the living area to the west, towards The Pinnacles.
Like the rest of the house, the bathroom is defined by a simple, natural material palette. 
The barn-style doors allow for protection from sun and the elements.
Perched on a knoll, the house is in a particularly isolated location, which is often cut off from the roads by flooding and extreme weather events.

About the
Professional

We're an architecture and design studio creating warm spaces for human connection. We believe architecture thrives on play and exploration, where clever solutions and clear dialogue create a dynamic interplay between all the elements of a project, bringing them all into balance.

Our directors, Tim Dorrington and Sam Atcheson, have spent over twenty years developing a design philosophy that's playful, balanced and inclusive. Clever solutions to interesting challenges are one of the hallmarks of our work, as is an eternally-youthful enthusiasm for creating truly transformative design. We like to think of it as delivering just enough surprise to truly delight our clients.

We're proud of the impact our team has made on the built environment of Aotearoa, with multiple NZIA Awards to our name and a roster of happy clients. We specialise in residential projects, but have also had success with retail and commercial environments.

Our approach is highly collaborative. While we often draw on the rich lineage of mid-century modernism, we're not design dictators. Every project is a response to site, budget and our clients dreams and objectives. It's an honest and open process, which reflects in the materiality of our buildings and the experience of the spaces we create.

Our design philosophy:

playful, human, balanced, clever, inclusive, transformative.

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Dorrington Atcheson Architects