Trends New Zealand Volume 35 No 5 | Page 13

The look and ambience of this dramatic home are greatly informed by its principal construction material. Tilt-panel shuttered concrete presents many advantages – from cost savings, to speed and safety of install. However, while tilt-panel concrete has long been embraced commercially for the above reasons, it’s only on strong, simple designs that it really comes into its own domestically – as with this home designed by Marcus Freeman and Hayden Ball with interior design and kitchen by Kirsty Davis. “The home is nestled back into a valley with a warm, protected microclimate that makes it an ideal environment for creating sunny outdoor areas and to take in sweep- ing natural views,” says Ball. Tucked into the base of a hill at the rear of the site, the long, simply arranged home comprises a run of bedrooms and a large garage at the back. At the front, the home opens up a sprawling open-plan living, dining and entertaining space. “Our brief was for a light-filled home constructed with permanent, preformed materials,” says Freeman. Previous pages: Nestled at the rear of a sheltered valley and enjoying great natural outlooks, this home by designers Marcus Freeman and Hayden Ball of Freeman Ball Developments is created mainly in tilt-panel concrete slabs and full-height windows. The privacy wall behind the front yard barbecue and even the pool itself are built from the same preformed construction material. Above: Monumental slabs of concrete and giant sheets of window glass translate into strong, simple light-filled spaces. Light from the floor-to- ceiling windows is mitigated by an automated blind and shade system hidden within the pelmet. search | save | share at