Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 7 | Page 13

as possible, while keeping the summer sun out, as well as making the most of any key views that the site has,” he says. After presenting two initial design con- cepts, and following on from continued dialogue with the owners, he hit on a plan that ticked all the boxes. “The final concept was quite a departure from where we were before. The house has a grand central space, surrounded by smaller spaces, somewhat like a church in the centre of a small village.” The ‘church’ consists of a singular Previous pages: A grand central space in this home by architect Vaughn McQuarrie meets the owners requests for a high stud, church-like volume and a boatshed look. Prominent within this space, the helical steel staircase gives access to the mezzanine level. These pages: The primary structure of the house consists of parallel precast walls, fully glazed at each end and topped with a gabled roof. Together with the poured concrete floor, the concrete panels provide thermal mass, acting as a heat sink to help regulate the interior temperature. search | save | share at