Love warm? This pleasing, light-filled home follows the sun

Designed by Wulf Borrmeister, Borrmeister Architects

From the architect: 

The brief required a home for entertaining and relaxation that would seamlessly integrate with the neighbourhood. The owner also wanted to maximise the dog-leg site to capture sunlight and views. 

The resulting house is sympathetic to its neighbours, providing privacy through the careful composition of building form and light. 

Following the site’s shape, the building unfurls in a series of enigmatic, light-filled spaces within a logical building plan composed of courtyards and outdoor zones, each positioned to follow the sun’s path.  

The formal entrance is bordered by a concealed garage, connected to the house by a ‘zen’-like covered link. Opposite this is the core of the home, featuring Timaru blue stone walls at the ground floor level, anchoring the house in visual terms.

Inside, firm materiality gives way to light and openness where entertaining is made easy with a well-appointed kitchen and seamless indoor-outdoor flow – typified by the interconnected living room and louvered outdoor room. 

Though warm and inviting, the living-dining area features full height glazing on two sides and a double height atrium above to enhance the garden connection at both levels. The dramatic upper floor floats neatly above, containing bedrooms and attached bathrooms. 

Despite its striking proportions the building remains a truly liveable family home, with comfortable spaces, warm materials, and textured finishes throughout.

Sustainability statement

The environmental considerations that influenced the project design were mainly addressed by using a passive design approach. 

Thought was put into the building’s orientation on the site to take advantage of natural light, providing the occupants with a north/west outlook with large areas of glazing.

Temperature control comes into play with this amount of glazing. 

To combat overheating in summer, the building has incorporated overhangs on the north and west elevations; external fixed sun screens to the upper level of the double height spaces; and an adjustable louvred roof over the courtyard. These elements provide for precise sun control.

Being well insulated, using double glazing with minimal glazing on the south façade helps to combat any heat losses and there is also an in-slab heating system on the ground floor.

The design includes extremely effective natural ventilation – the living area has large opening doors east and west for efficient cross ventilation, as well as a feature double height space with high level windows to remove any warm rising air.

The building has incorporated natural cladding materials using Timaru Bluestone and Cedar. There is also a gravel roof with filter fabric for the rainwater entering the storm water system.

See more of the kitchen

Designed by: Borrmeister Architects

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Sarah Rowlands