Sense of
place
From the architectural form
to the detailing, everything
about this new house shows
a respect for its location
Above: This new house in a heritage
suburb takes its cue from the
traditional villas in the street.
Right: The front gable echoes the
form of the villa roofs and the
setback from the road is the same
distance. The house also has a
similar painted weatherboard
exterior, and presents a modern
interpretation of traditional
balustrading.
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Even a heritage suburb can include homes
from a later era that simply don’t fit in. In such
cases starting over can be a win-win, with both
the owners and the neighbourhood benefitting
from a more considered design response.
This new house occupies a prime site in the
heritage suburb of Ponsonby, Auckland. The
surrounding houses are a mix of traditional
single-bay villas and two-storey cottages dating
back to the turn of the last century – and earlier.
Architect John Ingham of Archoffice says
the former house on this site was not one of
these character villas, however. Built in 1975, it
was a rather ordinary single-storey home with
fibrolite cladding and aluminium joinery. Being
a sought-after suburb with high land values, it
made sense to demolish the old and build anew.
Owners Aaron and Joycelyne wanted a
house with strong architectural merit – one that
would reflect the Ponsonby vernacular. The
design needed to maximise the narrow site,
with two linked pavilions and a courtyard in
the middle. The family home also had to be user
friendly and comfortable.
Ingham says creating two pavilions ensures
the mass is in keeping with the neighbouring
cottages – each pavilion is a similar volume to
these houses. It also lessens the visual impact of
a large house in the street, which would have
looked out of place.
“The pavilions have a simple gable form
with a 35° roof pitch that references the traditional villas,” he says. “The form also echoes
the front of the nearby All Saints Church that
was completed in the late 1950s. The church
is known for its Maori and English references.
This house has a similar wide gable and deep
overhang, reminiscent of a wharenui. Balustrading on the upper level was derived from
the rauponga artwork by renowned New Zealand artist Gordon Walters – it has a similar fern
leaf motif.”
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