By Crosson Architects
The Red House is a compact and cost effective home in a pocket of native bush. The building is conceived as a simple abstract cube sitting within its natural surrounds – a sealed container under and within the trees. The striking red colour was chosen as a contrast to the green of the New Zealand bush and adds an element of life and the slightly unexpected within this context. Cheap corrugated iron cladding is articulated with the placement of vertical and horizontal sheets in random patterns breaking up the scale of the building.
The entry is demarcated from the house and carpark by a timber planked boardwalk extending toward a cantilevered projection over the bush. The entry level consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom and a studio gallery space with a translucent sliding wall. The open plan living zone of the second level is treated as a background for a quirky collection of shelves, cabinets and other memorabilia from the old family shoe business. Large skylights allow sun to penetrate this level from above and wrapped glazing provides an immediate connection to the surrounding treescape.
The southern stair culminates at the top with a glass enclosure opening to the roof deck, within the tree canopy – a dramatic spatial shift. This terrace provides the primary outdoor living zone for the home.
Crosson Architects is an Auckland based architectural practice with an exceptional portfolio of work. Past projects include residential, commercial, institutional, masterplanning and urban design developments. Ken Crosson and his team have won numerous architectural awards locally and internationally with work being regularly published here and around the world.
Our commitment to providing a superior service to our clients is extended with membership in Designgroup New Zealand, enabling larger scale projects to be undertaken, drawing on a range of resources and expertise from partnering practices. We strive for the highest standards of client service, design and documentation. At the completion of each project, the aim is to have achieved a building that is beyond the client's expectations. We believe good design will produce sustainable, functional and dramatic spaces and buildings that have an enduring quality over time.
Each project is analysed for its special requirements and opportunities: the end result being not a preconceived idea, but a combination of the client's requirements and desires, a response to the site and the budget. Critical consideration is given to the project's specific environmental and historical context, and to the appropriate use of materials and construction methods.
At the heart of the process is the collaboration between the client and the architect. At Crosson Architects we create – and the process is vigorous and robust, rich and rewarding. Amongst other elements, we consider the physical, psychological and spiritual – achieving an outcome that is unique and life-enhancing.
We would love to offer you the opportunity to realise your dream with Ken and the team at Crosson Architects.