Te Kowhai Point Project

Located in Northland, this 12-acre block had been subdivided from an olive orchard. Access to the site is via an existing gravel track that skirts the olive tree-clad northern slopes leading to a gently-sloping, north-facing paddock that offers 270-degree views of the surrounding rural landscape.

“The site is very private yet has a stunning and expansive outlook over the landscape,” says Paul Spooner, Director of Spooner Architectural Solutions. “The clients’ brief called for a single-level family home with a form that references a barn-style building that appears rustic but is finely proportioned and well assembled.

“The clients had a specific desire for a repeating gable form separated by valleys. Also, they wanted a building that, on approach, is not obviously a dwelling, perhaps appearing to be a farm building that only upon entry reveals a dramatic and contrasting open-glazed facade that celebrates the sun, moon rise and the rural outlook.”

Given the clients’ desire to create the impression of a farm building, board and batten was an easy choice for the outer walls for its naturalness, rustic appearance and quintessential rural roots, says Paul.

“The economy of plywood cladding also allowed us to dedicate proportionally more budget to smaller areas of more refined looking cedar cladding within inset walls and soffits. Visitors to the home almost always arrive by car, so the main entry, with it’s heavily timbered facade, is the only obvious access to the building from the driveway approach. This directs visitors and allows the home to maintain a sense of privacy and seclusion.

“Entry to the home leads immediately to the hub—kitchen, dining and living room. Such is the drama of the vaulted ceiling and glazed facade, upon entry attention is immediately drawn to the view rather than to the building’s interior. From the hub, the glazed facade incorporates large sliding doors that face north and east, providing a direct connection to the landscape and outdoor living.”

Bedrooms and bathrooms are contained within an adjacent wing dedicated to these spaces, maintaining separation within the home. This wing also projects forward of the main facade, providing further visual separation between the master bedroom and the hub and outdoor areas—while ensuring uncompromised views over the landscape.

“The projecting bedroom wing also provides the outdoor areas of the home with a measure of shelter from the prevailing westerly winds.”

Inside, there was a call for simplicity and clean bright lines, particularly given the raked ceilings, which are proportionally large.

“While the ceilings do indeed have high areas, the ‘valleys’ are also comparatively low, so high reflectance of light was an important factor in selecting the ceiling finish, which underscores the sense of the roof floating above the glazing, accentuating the lofty feel within the main living area.

“This has been offset by the inclusion of a rustic, band sawn timber floor, which anchors the plan and was chosen to bring some of the rustic feeling of the building’s exterior inside. This flooring is also great for a rural living environment where it is not easy to control what gets carried inside by kids, pets and weather.

“Accents of colour in the fixtures, furnishing and artwork bring cheerfulness and personality to the home.”

As the home is located in a rural zone, connection to town water services was not available so a number of self-sufficiencies were incorporated into the design.

“Water supply is maintained through rainwater collection and storage, while wastewater and stormwater disposal are taken care of via a secondary treatment wastewater system and discharges to on-site soakage, respectively.

“The site’s location is also controlled by visual amenity standards administered by council. The design responds to these through the use of low light reflectance value colours, glazing and by the overall building form being set down below adjacent ridge lines, so that when viewed from public vantage points it does not break the skyline.

“The home cuts a striking appearance from all angles with its angular, repetitive roof form and contrasting facade, which, from some aspects, appears quintessentially rural and farm-building-like, while at the same time, strikingly modern, intriguing and inviting from others.”

Words by: Justin Foote
Photography by: Northern Exposure Photography