Marking a milestone: The View House
From behind the house, viewing the lake to the north.
The house in its setting beside Lake Hawea in the South Island.
The house as seen from across the lake.
Looking north across the lake from the upstairs.
The north elevation as evening settles in.
The front entry welcomes you in.
Viewing deck. To the left is the bar/dining space with the kitchen at right.
Looking back across the house from the viewing deck with office nook and American ash battens.
Handrail detail at the viewing deck.
The American ash dining table.
The hanging light above the dining table is made from American ash to mirror the table below.
A heated slab underfoot is ideal for the cooler months.
Minimalist design to the kitchen joinery.
Looking towards the kitchen across the lounge.
Internal courtyard with doors retracted.
Looking down from the bedroom above.
The view from the master bedroom.
The ensuite to the master bedroom.
Looking along the flamed larch-clad wall to the entry door beyond.
Flamed larch continues to the outside, through the glass at the front entry, with inset linear lighting setting the scene.
Downstairs bathroom with kingfisher mural.
All of the bedrooms enjoy beautiful views.
Details to the window seat, with radiator below, in the upstairs bedrooms.
The View House - ground floor plan.
The View House - first floor plan.
Originally from the UK, architect Mark Warren had always thought becoming an architect was too lofty a dream. However, despite Covid lockdowns and delays, this former builder and carpenter completed his first house under his practice MJWarchitecture in May of this year. Our editor, Jacinda Rogers talks to Mark about his journey so far.
Jacinda Rogers (JR) Tell me a bit about yourself and how you got started.
Mark Warren (MW): I’m originally from Essex in the UK and have lived variously in Calgary in Canada, Los Angeles and Miami Beach in the States and then New Zealand, which has been home since 1998.
About a decade ago, an accumulative back injury laid me up for a few months and it was then that I decided to make the commitment to study to be an architect. It was a dream that had simmered away for many years but I’d always put it in the ‘not possible’ basket. I’d had a romantic vision of sitting at a drawing table designing fabulous houses since I was a kid. Of course, by the time I got to architecture, everything is now done on a computer!
I came to architecture quite late in life. I didn’t go to university until I was 42 (I’m now 53) and graduated in 2014 from Victoria University of Wellington with a Master’s in Architecture.
JR: And what was the catalyst for your decision to start MJWarchitecture?
MW: I have a very understanding ‘missus’ who helped out a lot during those full-time school years and she was in fact the catalyst for me making the switch from being a carpenter to a registered architect. I’d worked in construction since I was 18: from glazing at East End schools in London to building movie sets in Hollywood and working on houses in New Zealand.
After serving my time at several practices in Wellington, my formative experience was gained working under Gerald Parsonson, which at the time was my dream job. I then took the leap and started MJWarchitecture. This was my goal right from the start of university so, in January of 2020 (just a few weeks before the big Covid lockdown – awesome!), I inaugurated my company and I was off.
My goal is to specialise in bespoke residential design, hopefully with many more projects in as beautiful a spot as this one on the shores of Lake Hawea.
JR: What is the backstory of this project?
MW: Pencil first hit paper back in December 2018. At the time, the site was occupied by a rather ropy single-storey dwelling that had once served as a Department of Conservation information centre, along with a very large pine tree.
I was approached by the parents of friends of mine — sheep and beef farmers from Taihape — to design a holiday home for them on the site. I had previously drawn up quite a major renovation of their 150-year-old homestead in Moawhango, so we already all knew each other well.
JR: And what was your brief for the building?
MW: The house was to fulfil several roles — be a multi-generational holiday home and gathering destination, a stop-off point for South Island sheep dog trials and skiing trips, and to ultimately function as a full-time future home. The house had to be adaptable and be able to accommodate several families together at once.
The most important directive was that all rooms were to have access to the incredible views of Lake Hawea; the view had to be able to be enjoyed whilst barbequing outside too, no matter the weather.
It was to be a low-maintenance building with a modern design feel, with a Scandinavian design influence to the interior. The client was heavily involved in the design of the kitchen in particular and requested no tiles anywhere in the house – hence the mirrored splashback in the kitchen and Hardies InVibe wall linings in the showers.
JR: What were the main design challenges and goals?
MW: The site itself was by far the biggest challenge. It’s awkward in shape and flanked by a busy road to one side and public footpaths and neighbours to the others. There’s also a protected view shaft caveat passing through the northwest corner of the site so no building was allowed there.
Balancing privacy and access to the view became an exercise in house placement. The master suite and lounge have angled walls which are in part a response to the mountains across the lake as well as a strategy to provide some semblance of privacy from traffic along Capel Ave.
JR: Lastly, what are you most proud of in the outcome of the house?
MW: Thankfully, there’s a lot I like and a lot of things I think work well with the View House but it’s the arrangement of spaces in the main living area that makes me most proud. All the hours spent tinkering with steps, floor levels, timber batten placement, material choices, sliding door options — it all comes together in that main part of the house.
I always wanted the house to feel ‘designed’, for the spaces within it to make you feel comfortable and, really, to just make you ‘feel’ something. For me, that whole area encompassing the courtyard, kitchen, dining, viewing deck, bar and lounge, coupled with the views of the lake, feels exactly like I hoped it would — composed and beautiful.
Project info:
Total floor area: 326sqm. Four bedrooms, family bathroom with separate w/c, media room, downstairs w/c with shower, laundry, master suite with ensuite and dressing, open plan kitchen, dining, lounge built around an internal covered courtyard with openable louvre roof, viewing deck with office nook.
Mark John Warren is the director of MJWarchitecture Limited, based in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington. To get in touch, or for more information, head to www.mjwarchitecture.nz
