An architect’s own home in suburban Queenstown is inspired by rural structures and designed for easy family living.

Constraints can be a catalyst for creativity. Such was the case for this cleverly planned barn-style home in suburban Queenstown, which was built on a tight, trapezoidal shaped site in a medium density family neighbourhood.

Designed by architect Simon Khouri of Thoughtform Architecture for his own family, the house is built to the rear, wider end of the site and is designed to take into account sightlines from close neighbouring buildings, while providing a light-filled home that inspires easy flow of movement for a family of four.

“The odd boundary dimensions and various easements really hemmed in the usable area of the site - and we knew our budget meant we had to keep the form simple,” says Simon. “We researched DOC huts in the area to see what materials and forms would be durable in this climate. Once we had identified the constraints, we modeled the neighbouring buildings and mountains, created sun studies and explored various options.”

For the facade, Simon chose COLORSTEEL® in a corrugated profile to echo the form of the building, which references those huts and rural barns that came up in his research. Gull Grey was chosen as a soft, natural tone that allows for solar reflectance without glare. The grey tone is also a welcome departure from the black corrugated facades used for many homes in the area.

“By using the same colour of metal cladding on the roof and exterior walls, the house appears like a solid architectural form, with the angles and cut-outs of the doors and windows emphasised,” says the architect.

The combination of the COLORSTEEL® and Abodo Tundra weatherboards, which are used for the front lower level of the house, makes for a very low-maintenance facade. This is important due to the height of the building and Queenstown’s climate, which can swing between extremes. The weatherboards are finished with Sioo:x, a coating that silvers off in a similar way to cedar without compromising the timber. Together, these materials give the home a contemporary, rustic look.

Timber also carries through to the interiors, where the downstairs walls are lined in v-groove ply with a whitewashed finish. Along with the ply used for the stairs and upstairs flooring, this gives a soft, natural aesthetic. Downstairs, the polished concrete floors further the barn style of the house, while also being hard-wearing and acting as a thermal mass, providing passive heating. In the winter, this is helped by underfloor heating from a water-to-air heat pump system.

The living space is open-plan, with stacking sliding doors on two sides to allow easy access to the outdoors and to let in the breeze in summer. The dining table extends from the kitchen island, providing more floor space for play.

Upstairs, windows are restrained and views are directed over the neighbour’s rooftops towards the mountains. As a fun feature for the kids, climbing walls in their bedrooms connect to a crawlspace, which links the rooms together.

Taking advantage of the zoning, which allows for self-contained rental accommodation to be included on each site, Simon designed a two bedroom flat on one side of the house, cleverly situated so that all its openings face in a different direction to those of the main house, allowing for a degree of separation and privacy.

While the size and shape of the site meant there was not much usable lawn space, the warm, sun-filled rooms and flowing floorplan of the house inspire play and movement, while also keeping the family warm and healthy through the cooler months.