The rural site falls gently away from the access road and is surrounded by rolling, green, farming pasture, just minutes from Matakana township. The project brief was to design a home which responds to the rural nature of the surrounding buildings and landscape and  delivers a country feel. The concept of ‘barn-style’ living was an inspiration, but the clients also wanted to integrate the warm, homely comforts that can be achieved with a new home. Local council planning controls required a resource consent approval for the project, so it was necessary to address how the home’s location, building form and building platform would respond to the existing environment.