Wairarapa House

By +MAP Architects

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+MAP Architects
Canterbury
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Situated on the banks of the Wairarapa Stream in Christchurch, this house uses architecture and landscaping to maximise the connection between the built environment and the natural environment.
A box, sculpted out of copper and cedar, has been elevated and cantilevered high above the streetscape to create a dramatic sense of entry, at ground level, a series of concrete forms anchor the building to the site.
The landscaping cleverly brings water to the edges of the building, seeking to further blend the architecture into the stream’s edge and establish a strong connection to the water.
Copper, concrete and cedar combine to impart a sense of endurance with each material designed to patina over time at its own rate, imprinting upon the house its own history.
Natural elements—water and plants—soften the almost brutalist concrete forms creating a visual and aural counterpoint to the structure.
Copper and travertine surfaces are dressed between expressed structural elements of concrete and steel to create an enduring, timeless home.
To the side of the home, beneath the copper form is a courtyard, from the prevailing southerly and easterly winds.
Garaging is seamlessly integrated into the structure behind cedar cladding.

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