Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 6 New Zealand | Page 13

To help accommodate these factors,
the garage was pushed back into the hillside, and landscaped over the top so that
it is hardly visible.
The main living area was allocated the
prime viewing corner, with the master
suite then placed at one end of the home
and a guest wing at the other. It’s this guest
wing, clad in slowly weathering Corten
steel, that greets visitors to the home, says
associate principal David Pascu.
“The guest wing is raised off the
ground, up to almost 2.5m. We could have

had the walls continue down to grade, but
we wanted to minimise the footprint on the
land. We liked the idea of seeing underneath a portion of the house to glimpse the
views when you arrive,” says Pascu.
The Corten steel also meets the request
for low maintenance materials, as do
the zinc roof, the architectural concrete
walls and the polished concrete slab that
extends throughout the house.
Another restriction on the design stipulated a maximum ratio of 30% glazing
for the house, though that could be

Facing page: A zinc tray above the living room’s
concrete wall creates an impression that the zinc
roof and guttering system penetrate the interiors.
Above: The main entrance to the house is seen
in the centre of this image. Polished concrete is
the principal floor material and was poured in
one complete level throughout the house, as the
owners wanted no stairs or steps. Panel-formed
concrete was poured on site for the walls. The wall
seen here was designed specifically to display an
artwork that is almost 4m high.

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