Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/7 | Page 38

Outside the box
Contrasting materials, layered planes and sculptural
cutouts on the exterior of this new house
inform the interior living spaces
Taking the less conventional
approach to design is a sure
way to give a house a strong
identity and sense of place.
Invariably, form is dictated by
function, and building materials take on a whole new
significance.
For this project, architect
Scott West created a bold,
multi-layered facade where
walls slice through windows
and cutouts provide changing

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perspectives that blur the line
between inside and out. The
sculptural, geometric form of
the architecture extends to the
landscaping, where the entry
path turns at right angles and
is flanked by terraced gardens.
“The house is on an
exposed corner site,” says
West.
“Consequently,
the
owner wanted the suggestion
of a barrier between the street
and the house without the

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unfriendly look of a fence. We
turned the front door sideways
so it is not an open invitation
for just anyone to wander up
the path.”
Strong, bold materials and
an absence of large windows
on the corner elevation also
create a visual defense. West
teamed natural slate, ipê hardwood and stucco with a new
proprietary bamboo tongueand-groove
siding.
Each

material defines a separate
piece of the 3-D composition.
“Rather than presenting
rooms as a collection of little
boxes, I designed the house
as a sculptural assembly of
spaces,” says West. “The gaps
in between the solid planes
create a negative detailing,
which is where the windows
are positioned.”
At the front, a chimney-like
element wrapped in ipê wood