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Situated at the base of Bremner Ridge, this enormous section sits at the edge of a beautiful ecological planting reserve of regional Flat Bush. A building restriction line was put in place to protect the natural state of the ecosystem leaving us with a uniquely shaped triangular section perched above a very steep slope. Native Puriri, Nikau, Pohutukawa are amongst the many other fauna and flora which have matured over many years in this once rural farmland to form a beautiful, softened threshold between the house and the planting edge. 

From the get-go, the idea was to build a beautiful and contemporary home for a generational family of 6 in the image of a modern treehouse directly fronting the tree line. Upon entry via an enormous full panel pivot door fitted amongst a sleek wall of dark stained vertical grain cedar, a beautiful floating staircase connecting all 3 floors forms the centrepiece and arrival of the home, softly filtering light vertically throughout the space. 

Passing through the gallery takes you to the open plan kitchen dining living which features large sliding glass panels that open and stack to merge the interior space with an enormous 4M suspended timber deck to create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow. The entire deck extends right up close and in line with the tops of the tree canopies, wrapping around to the side of the house where it eventually merges with a secondary outdoor living area. Glass balustrades continue seamlessly along the entire length of this decking to further connect the house and the flora.

 A fully sound insulated theatre and games room, along with the kids rooms, complete the lower basement floor of the house. On the top floor, the master bedroom features a built-in bay window surround to form a reading bay facing the trees. Large sliding doors open out from there towards a large, tiled balcony orientated directly towards the sky-tower views of Auckland City. 

In Collaboration with X Studio.
Construction by QBS.

THE NIKAU HOUSE | Shape Architects
Nikau House

About the
Professional

We are Shape, an architectural design studio based in Auckland, New Zealand.

The practice is a design-led and client focused studio specializing in residential architecture ranging from large scale subdivision to luxury townhouse developments to premium lifestyle homes.

Our team consists of Registered Architects & Architectural Designers with extensive building experience throughout many years in the industry.

The studio approaches every project with a commitment to design excellence and a thoughtful consideration of site and place. Every design we do is bespoke, and no two projects are the same. This is because no two clients and no two sites are either.

This process involves a collaborative approach, working with and alongside the client to intricately explore notions of design, context, layout, space, light, history, culture, and materiality. We pride ourselves on being able to holistically design and solve a complex of architectural issues to deliver a project that is both appropriate to its context yet seamlessly integrated into the manner in which our clients prefer to live.

We thank and are grateful for our ever-growing network of clients and we look forward to sitting down with new clients to discuss ways we can help their next project take shape.

Plan. Design. Consent. Build.

Shape offers a range of services that cover every step of your project’s journey.