Party at the front

Designed by Tony Irving, Pure Architecture

From the building designer:

The owner's brief was to design a new modern home on the site to accommodate the family of four comfortably – plus guests/extended family – and be a home to enjoy for years to come, relatively easy to maintain, warm and comfortable. 

There was to be four bedrooms, three bathrooms, plus two separate living areas – living and rumpus.

The site extends lengthways downhill from Alexander Street towards the East. 

The design and layout of this home provides main level living with seamless indoor-outdoor flow and multiple areas for entertaining and relaxation for all ages. 

A west facing covered outdoor lounge deck adjacent to the swimming pool provides a relaxed entertaining space for family activities by the pool. 

The east facing deck with outdoor dining and BBQ area off the kitchen/dining takes advantage of the morning sun, valley and sea views. 

A separate living rumpus room in the basement below is a great area for kids to play and hangout, which opens out onto a retained level grass area and lower back section to the east. 

The master suite to the upper level provides peace and tranquillity looking out over the valley and water to the east and north.

A feature of the design is the precast concrete panel walls finished with rough sawn timber that run through the centre of the home from the outside edge of the garage and entry to internally where the internal wall provides thermal mass, locating a large north facing skylight window in the living area. 

Winter sun hits the concrete pre-cast wall, heating it up during the day then emanating that heat out in the evening. 

This panel also has hydronic hot water heating pipes installed within and is linked to the basement concrete slab heating which allows the precast panel to also act like a large concrete radiator within the centre of the home.

Continuous vertical cedar cladding to the garage door and wall contrasts and complements the rough-sawn timber concrete panels. 

Steel cladding to the north and south elevations provides low maintenance finishes to these sun and shade exposed facades.

Ply (Plytech Polaris) with edge detailing was incorporated into the kitchen design along with the stair edge balustrade, stair bookshelf and entertainment unit with window seats – providing relaxing nooks with connection to the external tropical planting. 

All these additional pieces of furniture were custom designed by Pure Architecture.

A challenge of the overall design was maximising the indoor-outdoor flow to the front and north of the site while minimising vehicle/driveway access to internal garaging and storage.

This was achieved by incorporating a pool and deck area which could make the most of the afternoon sun but with privacy from the drive, front-entrance, and neighbours via fencing and natural planting. 

Natural wood materials were used for this pool and deck area to complement the use of natural cedar front-façade of the house and contrast with the concrete pre-cast panels. 

This well-designed outdoor space has now become a focal point for family life and an additional living space in the summer months.

Designed by: Tony Irving, Pure Architecture

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Mark Scowen