Houzz Tour: A Shoreline Home Glows Like a Lantern
This sailing-mad family’s house in New Zealand, inspired by traditional boat sheds, responds to light and wind
The genesis of this house on the northern shore of Auckland, New Zealand, was a little unusual. The clients, Rachael and Greg Rush and their two sons, had lived on the site in a run-down, old bungalow for many years before deciding to build on it. A block back from Takapuna Beach — a beautiful stretch of sheltered white sand 20 minutes from downtown Auckland — it’s an idyllic spot, which suits this family of water-mad sailors to a tee.
Rachael, a commercial architect who specializes in large-scale public buildings, had conceived of the general shape of the house, and received resource consent for the project, before deciding that the family would be better off commissioning another architect to design it. She called on Strachan Group Architects, mainly because of the firm’s reputation for building beautifully crafted houses that are environmentally high-performing.
Rachael, a commercial architect who specializes in large-scale public buildings, had conceived of the general shape of the house, and received resource consent for the project, before deciding that the family would be better off commissioning another architect to design it. She called on Strachan Group Architects, mainly because of the firm’s reputation for building beautifully crafted houses that are environmentally high-performing.
For SGA, the question was how to create something that could be responsive to light and air — so important for passive heating and cooling — when every outlook is compromised and the view is almost to the south. The answer, surprisingly, wasn’t in closing the house down, but rather in opening it up. Carefully. “The key to the house is transparency,” de Pont says. “We had poor solar access and didn’t want it to be too in-your-face — so a little of it was trying to play that down.”
De Pont and Dave Strachan, along with the team at SGA, refined the plan a little: They pulled each shed 15 inches apart, then worked to make the house both beautiful and environmentally-friendly. The three gabled forms are built from steel portal frames with wood inserts, pulled back to the street boundary on one side and the northern boundary on the other to maximize the size of the courtyard.
It’s a big house, but it feels lightweight, thanks to large windows that open on almost every side, bringing in light, views and the all-important sun. A variety of screening methods give the family privacy, as well as the ability to direct the sun and wind.
De Pont and Dave Strachan, along with the team at SGA, refined the plan a little: They pulled each shed 15 inches apart, then worked to make the house both beautiful and environmentally-friendly. The three gabled forms are built from steel portal frames with wood inserts, pulled back to the street boundary on one side and the northern boundary on the other to maximize the size of the courtyard.
It’s a big house, but it feels lightweight, thanks to large windows that open on almost every side, bringing in light, views and the all-important sun. A variety of screening methods give the family privacy, as well as the ability to direct the sun and wind.
In winter, the floors are heated by the sun during the day and release their heat at night. In summer, the house opens up completely to allow fresh air to waft through the house. Here, the master bedroom’s window drops to become a balustrade, allowing gentle summer ocean breezes to enter. The steel screens provide privacy and can be turned to block sun or wind. In the heat of summer, the windows stay open all day to allow cool air in.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, huge doors open over a shallow pool, cooling the air on its way into the house. “Because they are sailors, they understand the breeze and the sun,” de Pont says. “And Greg’s home a lot, so the idea is the house can be tuned like a boat.”
Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, huge doors open over a shallow pool, cooling the air on its way into the house. “Because they are sailors, they understand the breeze and the sun,” de Pont says. “And Greg’s home a lot, so the idea is the house can be tuned like a boat.”
On the southern boundary, a facade of glass-reinforced concrete panels offers a solidity to the street and the south side of the house (there are narrow windows built into either side to let in light). The panels were custom-cast from the same mold, which is an interpretation of ripples in the sand of Takapuna Beach.
Below this is the entry to the garage, which burrows down under two of the boat sheds and provides space for three cars, along with a workshop and room for boats — not to mention the many and varied bits of water sports gear the water-obsessed Rushes have lying around. Underground, there’s also a utility room and a gym. The basement was key to meeting the family’s goals for the site without building a house that felt too big.
Below this is the entry to the garage, which burrows down under two of the boat sheds and provides space for three cars, along with a workshop and room for boats — not to mention the many and varied bits of water sports gear the water-obsessed Rushes have lying around. Underground, there’s also a utility room and a gym. The basement was key to meeting the family’s goals for the site without building a house that felt too big.
The house centers around the east-facing courtyard, with one pavilion sticking out more than the others to provide privacy from the neighboring house. Visitors arrive through the courtyard, up a generous set of stairs and across a deck to the front door — though with all the doors open, the idea of the house having a proper “front door” is a little redundant. It’s porous, allowing both air and people to drift in and out across decks and through courtyards and lawns, rather than down hallways. There’s no real front and no real back.
The entry opens simply into the living areas, anchored by the kitchen to the right and the dining area to the left with the main living area behind.
In contrast to the black steel-and-wood exterior, the inside of the house is almost all wood. “We often try to use alternatives to plasterboard,” says de Pont, whose team chose several kinds of wood for their luminescent golden tones. The result is a house that has been beautifully crafted in the manner of a boat.
In contrast to the black steel-and-wood exterior, the inside of the house is almost all wood. “We often try to use alternatives to plasterboard,” says de Pont, whose team chose several kinds of wood for their luminescent golden tones. The result is a house that has been beautifully crafted in the manner of a boat.
The kitchen and dining area sits in the middle of the house, between the east and west courtyards with a view out over the lawn through pohutukawa trees to a peek of Takapuna Beach.
The dining area is both inside and outside, thanks to a very large window that slides up completely on hydraulics, exposing the whole room to the open air.
The house was built by Gary Bonham of Bonham Builders & Management. Design and planning took two years, and construction took 15 months.
The house was built by Gary Bonham of Bonham Builders & Management. Design and planning took two years, and construction took 15 months.
The house is open at both ends and closed along the sides — on the southern boundary for reasons of privacy and cold, and on the north because there is a house so close. A variety of courtyard spaces cut into the building and give the feeling that there’s always somewhere to go — and always air and light.
The kitchen was custom-built from stainless steel by Arclinea. Walls throughout the house are clad in birch plywood; the floors are blackbutt or basalt tile. On the ceiling, the Lawson cypress floor joists and the poplar subfloor of the level above are left exposed, so you can see the detailing. The different woods give the house a warm, friendly glow.
The Baker stools here are from local Auckland furniture designer IMO.
The Baker stools here are from local Auckland furniture designer IMO.
Here is another view of the kitchen, which is open on all three sides to different living areas. The boating analogies are found throughout the house; the kitchen feels a bit like a galley on a boat (a very nice one, admittedly).
The prevailing wind in the evening comes off the ocean to the east. To counter this, SGA designed a snug west-facing courtyard beside the kitchen and opening out from the living area.
While the Rushes were initially worried about privacy — from certain angles, you can look down into the courtyard over the concrete wall as you approach the house — they’ve been delighted by the neighborly interactions. The area is very quiet, and most of the foot traffic comes from neighbors walking to the beach. “Dealing with privacy was one thing,” de Pont says, “but the nice thing is you get to see them and say hello.
While the Rushes were initially worried about privacy — from certain angles, you can look down into the courtyard over the concrete wall as you approach the house — they’ve been delighted by the neighborly interactions. The area is very quiet, and most of the foot traffic comes from neighbors walking to the beach. “Dealing with privacy was one thing,” de Pont says, “but the nice thing is you get to see them and say hello.
“During the day,” de Pont adds, “it’s quite recessive and transparent.” From the street, the house is open, offering views down through it to the beach. The door in the foreground here is a service entry into that west-facing courtyard — though because of the aforementioned neighborhood relations, it’s also become an entry to drop by for a glass of wine.
Despite the transparency, the house is still warm, especially in the main living area, which is a couple of steps up from the kitchen-dining area. The Masport fireplace, with custom steel surround, and the television help create a den-like living area, which feels slightly — and pleasantly — removed from the rest of the house.
SGA played with light wherever possible. The long window behind the couch sits in behind the glass-reinforced concrete screen, giving yet another surprising shaft of light. The room is ideal for music practice, with drums and a piano permanently set up.
On the opposite side of the kitchen, a second living area is also the access point to the upstairs bedrooms, wrapping around a solid concrete-block wall, which helps moderate the temperature of the house.
The Kina light fixtures here and throughout the house are by New Zealand designer David Trubridge.
The Kina light fixtures here and throughout the house are by New Zealand designer David Trubridge.
The space here is in direct contrast to the family room across the other side of the house. A double-height space, it has large windows open to the street.
The ceilings in the upstairs spaces are built from birch-ply sheets laid in a board-and-batten pattern. To make sure it would work, SGA built 1:1 models in its studio.
The ceilings in the upstairs spaces are built from birch-ply sheets laid in a board-and-batten pattern. To make sure it would work, SGA built 1:1 models in its studio.
Here, custom birch-ply cabinetry built by Wackrows Joinery hides away the family’s books, papers and ephemera.
High windows in this room let in light from the north without compromising privacy. “The trick was to get as much light from the north as possible,” de Pont says.
High windows in this room let in light from the north without compromising privacy. “The trick was to get as much light from the north as possible,” de Pont says.
The only bathroom downstairs, this serves as the guest bath as well as the bath for one of the boys’ bedrooms. Materials here echo those found throughout the house.
On the north side, a small internal courtyard helps bring in light without exposing the living areas of the house to the neighbors; without it, parts of the living areas could have been quite dark. The warm wood throughout the house helps bounce around light without creating glare.
The landing here looks down to the kitchen-dining area. Down the stairs, a glass bridge leads to one of the boys’ bedrooms. Behind it, a north-facing window drags in as much light and sun as possible to provide passive heating in winter, while a polycarbonate screen on the outside of the window helps with privacy.
The landing here looks down to the kitchen-dining area. Down the stairs, a glass bridge leads to one of the boys’ bedrooms. Behind it, a north-facing window drags in as much light and sun as possible to provide passive heating in winter, while a polycarbonate screen on the outside of the window helps with privacy.
Unusually, the boys’ bedrooms are on top of, rather than beside, each other. They are joined by a fire pole — surely every child’s dream — and have plenty of room for seating, toys and books in the built-in shelves.
The master bedroom and bathroom take up the top floor, and look down over the courtyard and out to a glorious view through pohutukawa trees to the Hauraki Gulf. The external metal screens can pivot for privacy, which means the owners never need to close their windows at night, let alone close the curtains.
The master bathroom sits behind the bedroom. The simple material palette is continued here with birch-ply cabinetry.
The house has multiple spaces where family members can retreat to, away from the main living areas without feeling cut off. Upstairs, a small library-media room can be closed off with sliding doors to create a fourth bedroom — or just as a quiet, secluded spot.
The southern facade of the house is clad with vertical shiplap weatherboards from Herman Pacific. They’re stained with Resene’s Hackett Black.
The nikau palms on the street boundary have been there for decades.
The nikau palms on the street boundary have been there for decades.
As night falls, the house changes as the light starts to bounce around all that wood. “The building is intended to be lantern,” de Pont says. “When you open the box, it kind of glows.”
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Who lives here: Rachael and Greg Rush, and sons Jack, 12, and George, 10
Location: Takapuna Beach, Auckland, New Zealand
Size: 4,090 square feet (380 square meters)
Designer: Strachan Group Architects in association with Rachael Rush
The basic idea was to build three pitched-roof pavilions that were inspired by traditional boat sheds and clustered around a generous courtyard. But the site was challenging, to say the least.
The previous owners had subdivided the property, then built a large house right on the northern boundary. The Rushes also wanted a large house, along with plentiful underground storage for cars, boats and toys, on a 5,166-square-foot lot that was exposed to the street on two sides. “It was a very big brief for a very small site,” says project architect Pat de Pont.