Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 12 New Zealand | Page 19

One of the challenges when designing a substantial family home is how to create all the spaces the owner wants without giving them a large box with no light in the middle. Ong&Ong architects Maria Arango and Diego Molina’s solution for this home was to divide it into two wings. W hile this in itself is not an unusual approach, the way they’ve implemented it has produced a house full of contrasts and surprises. “We started with a barn-like structure but didn’t want a dark interior,” says Maria Arango. “So we opened up the centre with a water courtyard that contains an ornamental reflecting pool.” The two wings that wrap around the water courtyard divide up the functional spaces of the house and feature different cladding materials. The front wing contains the living and dining areas on the ground floor with the master bedroom and family room above. While the rear wing contains more of the services such as the kitchen, family dining, maid’s room and a study. Facing page and top: The two wings of this home by Ong&Ong are most obvious from the side elevation. The front wing is on the right and is clad in granite. To create contrast, the rear wing on the left has a fair-faced concrete cladding. The gap between the two wings contains a water courtyard with an ornamental reflecting pond. Above: As well as granite cladding, the front wing is partly clad with dark aluminium fins which also wrap over the roof. The swimming pool is in front of this section of the house. search | save | share at trendsideas.com