Hillside House

By Vorstermans Architects

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A south facing, sloping site, high on the Newlands hills with jaw dropping views across Wellington harbour.

There has been minimal compromise from the initial concept of raising the house to maximise the views and sun, while minimising excavation and touching of the land. Designing a carport not a garage creates the impression of hovering above the site. A small retaining wall anchors the structure at the back, while pole foundations carry the house towards the view. The gravel driveway and landscaping will help the house blend in with the vegetation – the posts appearing like tree trunks.
Wrapped in black steel, the cladding is a wide pan steel trough which sets a strict grid, neatly aligning the windows and timber posts. Bright orange and yellow doors provide a splash of colour, offset by other materials in a natural finish – ply soffits and timber stair balustrades. The specific design wind zone required robust detailing on cavity systems and specifications.
Inside, the public and private spaces are in two separate wedges dived by an angled wall. The living area has stunning views, a unique lime green steel framed kitchen, looped LED lights, and clerestory windows allowing plenty of sun. Blonded plywood and exposed masonry blocks are mixed with painted plasterboard walls.
The bedrooms and amenities are split over stepped levels. Continuous plywood joinery, in a black HPL finish, is an integral part of the architecture.
A unique house in a sea of spec houses, we believe this proves a small budget does not exclude you from great design.

Vorstermans Architects
Wellington
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Professionals used in
Hillside House

Vorstermans Architects
Vorstermans Architects
Architects
- 2018

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Professional

OUR PURPOSE

Utilising our commercial and residential experience to produce quality designs and creating beautiful buildings for our clients.  We aim to use our knowledge to positively improve and change people’s everyday lives both at work and at home and their experience of the environment. We vow to leave the environment in a better situation then we found it.

OUR PROMISE

Communicate | Respond | Enjoy | Deliver  

Design Excellence – We strive for design excellence in all projects no matter how big the project or small the budget. We have a creative team with multiple skills to offer quality solutions for any type of project.

Communicative – We respond openly, clearly and honestly to all communication in a timely fashion.

Accessible – Our team are always approachable for support and advice, easy to talk to and clients feel comfortable asking us anything.

Client Focused – We build long term relationships with our clients to create and facilitate unique solutions to their needs by engaging closely with our clients regularly through the process.

Professional  – Open, honest and transparent – we treat people with respect, value everyone input to the process to provide an educated solution which achieves positive results.

Experienced – we have been in the business for over 28 years.  We understand our community, the industry and we have the relationships to get things done.

When producing quality design work, we pledge to communicate openly, honestly and in a timely fashion, being responsive to both the clients and the environmental needs. We aim to make the design process enjoyable for everyone involved by creating positive and exciting experiences by removing traditional designer/client barriers which create unnecessary stress. We pride ourselves on timely delivery, exceeding our client’s expectations and providing a beautiful built environment for our clients for years to come.