Van Den Assum-Eisenhofer House

Nestled into a steep, tree-clad site, this property is the perfect example of the golden rule of real estate—location, location, location.

Located less than an hour out of Wellington, within the coastal community of Raumati Beach, the owners of this home sought the expertise of local architects Cecile Bonnifait and William Giesen of Bonnifait + Giesen Architects to transform the existing bach into a multi-generational home that offered various modes of living.

“The original 1940s cottage was one of two on the site, which was itself in three separate titles,” says Cecile Bonnifait. “Our clients bought the property with another couple with the intention of creating a collective-style compound for their respective families.

“With this intention, the goal was to redevelop the bach into a three-bedroom, modern family home. Unfortunately, the original structure was in quite a bit of disrepair, which necessitated in its being stripped back to the bare bones.

“However, being mindful of the 80-odd years’ history of the house, the existing landscape and native trees were maintained and as much materials as could be salvaged from the cottage re-used in the new build.”

An inground swimming pool was added to the property some time in the 1950s, says William, and that became the focus of the new design and build.

“The scheme for the project was centred on that idea of creating a series of communal spaces, so it made sense to incorporate the pool as the focal point. With the goal of preserving the original design intent of the cottage, the existing built shell has been transformed into a large open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge area that makes the most of the west-facing sea views.

“One of the clients is the daughter of renowned Austrian-born, New Zealand architect Friedrich Eisenhofer, who’s work centred on the relationship between the built and natural environments and on the process and advantages of solar gain. At looking at how we could maximise the redesign of the existing cottage, we were very much influenced by Friedrich’s ground-breaking work in this area.”

An extension was added to the south-facing facade, which houses a guest bedroom, office, bathroom and laundry. To the east, a double-storey structure, linked via a gallery space to the main building, houses an open-plan lounge/bunk room and toilet on the lower level, with a main bedroom with ensuite above.

This double-storey structure accesses a sheltered, side courtyard with spa pool and can be completely self-contained if need be, going back to the original design plan of providing spaces for communal living.

“In consultation with the owners, we have devised a free-flowing plan that adapts to multiple ways of living. This is a ‘living’ house, rather than one focused on the number of bedrooms,” says Cecile. “Elongating the structure along the north-south axis, meant that we were able to open all of the main rooms to the west, capturing the view and the afternoon sun—in the spirit, we hope, of Friedrich Eisenhofer.”

As with the design, the material palette was also informed by the original 1940s bach and features bevelled weatherboards, vertical cedar cladding and macrocarpa slatting.

“We always strive to use natural materials as much as possible in our projects,” says Cecile. “In this case, with its deeply held roots, mature plantings and expansive outlook, to do any different would have been to do this house a massive disservice.”

Bonnifait + Giesen also constructed a car port at the top of the site and have completed plans for a small studio to be built at the top of the site.

“It is definitely not the easiest site to work with but considered crafting has made it into a really accessible plan with minimal disturbance to both the site and the mature trees,” says William.

Words by: Justin Foote
Photos by: Russell Kleyn