Whare Niwa

The client brief was for a paired back contemporary building, with references to mid-century modernism. Added to this, as a builders own home, there was the extra element of designing a building which would meet their exacting standards. The response draws on the internationalist component of the brief and responds to the site parameters, its neighbourhood context, and the overall climatic conditions of living on the West Coast of Te Ika-a-Maui, to maximise sun while providing privacy and functionality. Although the house is circa 500 metres to the beach and has no specific views to the sea, the over-arching premise of the house is to create a contemporary and relaxed coastal resort like oasis to provide the sense that the occupants are on a ‘holiday at home’.