Facebook Tweet Help Stories New Home New Zealand TIDA Homes End of the road Share Tweet Help Reached by a long and winding access road, this home reinterprets local architectural and is oriented to give the homeowners their best life Designed by Wendy Shacklock ArchitectsFrom the architect:“Situated on the slopes of the Orakei Basin in central Auckland, the site – at the end of nearly a half-kilometre challenging driveway that winds around other properties and sits on the steep slope of a volcanic crater – had every difficulty you could imagine but it is spectacular, sheltered and central,” says architect Wendy Shacklock.While the site threw every difficulty at her, Shacklock says the project benefitted from a quite specific owner brief in terms of functionality but complete openness in terms of form and materials. However, the homeowner wanted to achieve a flat lawn with swimming pool sitting flush with the living areas of the house on what is almost a one-in-three slope beneath a cliff. There was to be a study, media room and three bedrooms, with the main bedroom being on a mezzanine.Most importantly, it must look like a house – not an apartment building. “After consultation with engineers, a judicious level was struck for the main floor, cutting minimally into the cliff on the one hand and retaining and lifting the downhill boundary to create a level platform.“Entry to the site is from the south-western corner, five metres below the main floor level, while the garage is further cut in, with internal access to the double-height entry stairwell. "The resultant section follows the natural contours with minimal manipulation in the overall scale of the cliff.”The site enjoys a ‘wow’ view to the northwest, out across the basin and towards the Sky Tower and Auckland skyline. However, the architect says that did not automatically mean the house would be oriented in that direction. “It is always challenging to be looking westwards and across water, and my instinct is always to orient a house as much as possible to the north anyway, which in this case allowed the focus to be over the land – taking in the private dell-like quality of the extreme end of the site.“My personal belief is that views should be incidental to the experience of house, space and the relationships within."The form and geometry of the house re-interprets the New Zealand vernacular of the gabled roof form predominant within the local suburb. The facade ‘bends’ with the site so that the entire north and west facing facades effectively form a sheltered bay – maximising water views to the west and north, as well as passive solar gain from the north.“The manipulation of the facades in turn deflects the geometry of the gabled roof to create an irregular, sculpted form – the three-dimensional facade acts as an instrument for engaging with the garden and the basin, while expressing the dynamic forces of the volcanic contours.” Credit list Architect Wendy Shacklock Architects Kitchen designer Wendy Shacklock Architects Landscaping Strass Landscaping Cladding Cedar shiplap, by Hermpac; quartz zinc, by Metal Design Solutions Louvre system Louvretec Main flooring Polished concrete Bathroom tiles Maximum General heating Underfloor electric Feature lighting Inlite Pool fencing and shower stalls Frameless Glass Door hardware Halliday & Baille Insitu concrete walls Ross Bannan Builder Precision Construction Kitchen manufacturer Countrylane Kitchens Pool design/installation Wendy Shacklock Architects; Morgan Pools Roof Pre-weathered quartz zinc, by Metal Design Solutions Window/door joinery APL Architectural Series, from Design Windows Mezzanine flooring Solid oak, by CTC Paint Resene Fireplace The Fireplace Dining table/chairs Matisse Plumbing fittings Metrix Stairs Ackworth Awards Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Highly Commended Designed by: Wendy Shacklock Architects Story by: Trendsideas Photography by: Patrick Reynolds 21 Aug, 2022 New Home New Zealand TIDA Homes The Fireplace Inspired Living Trendsideas Home kitchen bathroom commercial design Latest Post Farmhouse with flair 01 Dec, 2024 Falling water 01 Dec, 2024 Surface attraction 01 Dec, 2024 We know the Specialists Related Book More Books > New Homes We have got all the best ideas and advice to help you with your plans and ideas. Read More Similar Stories