Martinborough House
By Holmes Architecture
This home, for a recently retired local farming couple, is situated within the Martinborough Estate residential development on a large, flat, open site - bordered by established trees and directly adjacent the fairways of the Martinborough Golf Club.
The building is four bedrooms, open plan mezzanine, open plan living/dining/kitchen, study, three bathrooms and double garage + workshop/laundry - organised around four wings connected with flat roofs. With such an expansive site the initial challenge was to organise the programme so that the building form did not appear as an isolated mass. In this case the separate wings allow the form to graduate into the site with pergolas and decks further blurring the edge between new building and wide-open spaces beyond.
With a fortunate north facing aspect the spaces have been spread along a long east-west axis with the large central volume accommodating the living areas and acting as a central hub, where the adjoining spaces (study, mezzanine, outdoor living) can be opened or closed off as required. The extended soffit over the northern glazing supported with a large structural pergola was modeled precisely to allow good thermal gain during the winter months while effectively shading the interior during the summer.
Stylistically the building is a modern take on traditional gabled forms referencing the clients previous farm house, updated with detailing such as the structural pergola, exterior screens, monochrome colour scheme and large areas of north facing glass. This theme is carried through to the interior where clean white joinery is offset with timber reclaimed from the client’s old shearing shed.
A central component to the brief was a useful outdoor living space as well as areas to catch the sun during the day while maintaining a comfortable interior temperature. With a prevailing north-west wind the solution was to continue the main living room gable to the east and treat the outdoor living as a continuation of the interior living room. With the ability to open the expansive glazing the clients have found this an ideal solution.
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Martinborough House
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About the
Professional
With a family heritage in construction and as a qualified builder himself, Mike Holmes established Holmes Architecture while completing the Masters of Architecture programme at Victoria University.
Working on complex residential and commercial projects fostered an affinity with built form, and Holmes Architecture was initiated through connecting this intimate knowledge of the construction process with an intuition and passion for architecture and design.
Mike’s approach to the design process is fluid and intuitive, although his non-linear approach is always coupled with a strong sense of identity, purpose and process - “Establishing identity is fundamental to the creative process and establishing who you, and your clients are, will ensure a clear project vision.”
Identity may be revealed in a multitude of ways: architectural style, environmental considerations, materiality, detailing, form, relationship to landscape - in either case a strong sense of form and composition is often a theme of the practice. Client and context is the first conversation initiated in each project, where the many competing forces of the design brief are reconciled through design thinking, visualisation and documentation.
Mike believes that architecture is communication in both practice and product - “The spark that delivers an initial design insight is a relatively brief moment in the process. The practice of architecture is then the communication of this brief and intense moment. What elevates buildings to architecture is when a designer has something worthwhile to say and does so in an insightful and honest way.”
Mikes ultimate aim is that unexpected and delightful design solutions are achieved through balancing function, construction and efficiency with a deep empathy for site, context and client.
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