A beacon on the landscape

Designed by Mark McLeay, Creative Arch

From the architects:

This split-level courtyard house is the innovative response to a site constrained on all sides. 

Thoughtful design strategies create a home that is both private and transparent; solid and grounded, yet light-filled and airy.

To protect privacy and embrace views, this house steps down its site and wraps around a central courtyard.

On this Hillsborough hill, four adjacent sites are owned by different family members. 

This home is bordered to the north by its owner’s parents, and to the west by her siblings. 

To the east are incredible views of the Manukau Harbour but with strong prevailing winds, and to the south, a large neighbouring property.

Black NuWall and brick cladding create strong, striking forms stepping down, wrapping around a central courtyard, protecting it from the elements and sheltering it from neighbours. 

Entering the home at the centre of the layout, the interior is revealed suddenly, and the eye is drawn over the sunken lounge to the ocean framed beyond.

Reaching into the sunken lounge, brick cladding connects solid exterior forms to the transparent, light-filled interior. 

Full height joinery opens to the inner courtyard, where Japanese-style plantings create a peaceful haven.

Above, the split level creates a cosy, separate lounge space and bedroom, and the upper level’s two bedrooms and shared ensuite are a celebration of natural light and sweeping views.

Stepping into this home is a transition from the sheltering forms of the exterior into open plan spaces filled with natural light and a sense of transparency.

At the threshold, a moment of welcome is marked by tapa cloth reaching into the void above. 

Inspired by Lonnie Hutchinson’s Honoa ki te Hono Tawhiti series, laser-cut plywood panels display patterns representing the family’s Māori and Samoan ancestry. 

Speaking specifically to warmth and hospitality, passing the threshold markers is entry to the inner sanctuary. 

The panels act as a cloak, concealing and wrapping around storage with a built-in seat.

Entering the home, the sunken lounge is a grounding point for the kitchen, dining and courtyard spaces. 

Stepping the seating down defines a cosy space to enjoy panoramic views of the Manukau Harbour, without compromising the open plan. 

Custom made seating has built in storage and shelving, and a protective powder-coated metal top plate.

Need for privacy to the north meant maximisation of solar gain wasn’t possible, so materiality and positioning of windows became key to passive design strategies. 

High thermal mass concrete floors contribute warmth, while the void space and paired windows draw in natural light, creating both ventilation pathways and unobstructed sightlines.

The double height void in the entry draws natural light in while maintaining privacy while the crossed window evokes a sense of ambiguity, hinting that this is a sacred space. 

At night, lit up from within, the window glows on the hill, a beacon within the surrounding landscape.

Story by: Trendsideas