There is a lot of emotion invested in a house where the owners aim to spend the rest of their lives. Not only should the house provide that ‘dream home’ ideal, it also needs to keep pace with the coming years. Currently a weekend retreat, this home, spread over two neighboring sections in Marsden Cove, Northland, is to eventually be the owners’ primary residence.

They came to architect Wayne Houston with a youtube video showing images of a house they liked, a book on American neomodernist architecture and a clear image of what they wanted, but Houston says he wasn’t intimidated by their artistic vision.

“My early design presentation drawings elicited good feedback, which helped me to fine-tune the aesthetics of the evolving design. Often a design is only as good as the client will allow. In this case they were supportive all the way through.”

Houston’s design features clean lines and minimal fuss. The house is laid out in a Y-shape, with family areas oriented towards sun and views. The roofline is uninterrupted by flashings while balconies are created by pushing the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors back into the precast concrete shell. Most rooms in the house feature floor-to-ceiling cavity-slider doors with recessed sills and heads, which gives a minimalist aesthetic and allows the spaces to be opened up completely, maximising those summer breezes.

Displaying the clients’ art collection was a key element of the brief. White walls extend the minimalist look and allow the artworks to take visual precedence. In the entrance foyer, a double height niche provides a space specifically set aside for a treasured coloured glass Jimmy Hendrix guitar.

One of the clients has an interest in astronomy, which is reflected in several visual features of the house. The kitchen island is faced with an elliptical artwork depicting the movement of the planets around the sun, while in the atrium, a Mooi pendant was selected for the star-like effects it shines on the walls. Outside, a perforated metal sculpture that simulates the galaxy – and which glows at night – is a feature of the landscape on the canal face. A star-light round ceiling treatment adds atmosphere to the media room and can be seen from the street at night.

Continuing the celestial relationship, thought too has gone into harnessing the sun’s energy through the slab flooring, says Houston.

“There are two slabs to the ground floor. The first is a 125mm-thick structural floor. On top is 50mm insulation with a 70mm concrete topping, fibre reinforced, which includes the water heating pipes. The hot water system supplies the heat to the pipes and is thermostatically controlled. The insulation ensures we are heating the house and not the ground below. In the summer it works in reverse: the sun warms the slab and the pipes circulate heated water back to a bladder exchange system in the hot water cylinder.”

The roof is designed to keep the heat in during winter, with a double layer bituminous membrane bonded over polysio insulation. A lift has been included to ensure the building meets future needs.

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Note: These are stories from our archives and, since the time of writing, some details may have changed including names, personnel of specific firms, registration status, etc.