Design brief

Designing a new house for yourself is a very exciting prospect, having no guidance from clients is seldom, however when the opportunity comes to hand the challenge becomes apparent. What style do we want? How unique do we want the design to be and reigning back your ideas to fit within the budget are issues you have to deal with.

The site is a large elevated urban lot capturing all-day sun with a designated building platform and a backdrop of established Kanuka trees. The front of the site is a defined ponding area that is to be established as wetlands providing a great outlook and feature the home had to focus on and connect with. 

Our brief called for a home for a young family that had space and a layout in which we would grow into. It was to provide separation for the kids/adult spaces and be an entertainer’s home for both adults and children. The home had to be light and contemporary in an edgy style with a focus on exterior connectivity. It was to be spacious, but not excessive, comprise an open plan living area, second adult’s living space, kids breakout space, four bedrooms with defined separation to the master suite and kids bedrooms and include large outdoor living spaces. The home was to feature in-built joinery and be heavily landscape to provide privacy and softness. Materials were to flow seamlessly from exterior to interior creating a cohesive house from front to back, inside to out.

Design features

The site tapers at the back where the designated building platform was and it was determined that the garage door was not to be the focal point of the house, the solution to this was to locate the garage perpendicular to the road, ensuring the form of the house was not compromised. The house was divided into two halves; the master bedroom with living spaces (interior and exterior) and the children’s accommodation. The house centres around a central living room with the children’s spaces set at the rear of the house with a direct connection to the backyard off a small living space and the main living areas and the master suite at the front of the house. Entry to the house is gained through a large glass pivot door with external claddings flowing from the exterior throughout the home. A covered outdoor room housing an exterior fire is located off the living spaces and master bedroom, it was also positioned for viewing over the front of the site.

A large cedar-clad skylight is located centrally in the exterior room ensures light is not minimised in the adjacent rooms. A pop-up roof in the kitchen and second living room enhances volume and with highlight windows light introduced to the central rooms. Extensive glazing on the North and West sides provides passive heating with minimal windows located on the Southside.

External corner opening doors are used in multiple positions blurring the transition from inside to out. The children’s and adult’s spaces are further defined by a  slight split level to suit the natural topography of the site. External forms are cedar-clad pavilions with 15 degree tilted walls anchoring the house to the site linked by flat roofs. Interconnecting flat roof areas are clad with laser cut corten with a custom batten and wedge design referencing the angled pavilions, coloured inserts were installed in the laser cut pattern for added detail. Large soffits provide sun protection to the extensive glazing to the North and West sides minimising overheating and exterior living spaces are interconnected off all internal living spaces. In-built furniture features throughout the home and a pallet of American white oak and contrasting white and dark feature walls are used to match the exterior. The exterior cedar and steel cladding continues through to the interior, all blending harmonically for an overall warm interior. Matching timber batten screens are used both internally and externally, further emphasizing a cohesive striking building from front to back, inside to out.

The house was completed in 2014.