Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 2 | Page 28

Previous pages: The grand living and dining room on the top floor of the residence is terminated by a giant stone fireplace and chimney structure that rises right up through each level of the building. This forms a key part of the structure for the home, as does a similar form at the other end of the building. search | save | share at from local construction company Triple Star, explains the lengths they had to go to just to secure the site. “We excavated a long, 15m-deep cut into solid rock, then inserted 150 rock anchors 14m into the exposed rock,” says Campbell. “From here, we poured a huge concrete slab and two significant concrete chimneys that, with other elements, would act as bracing for the building.” This ground level forms a large basement where owners and guests park their cars, and is the main entry point to the home – effectively creating a large, subterranean porte cochère. “This level also houses a climate-controlled wine cellar, bar, and a dedicated home theatre. The garage itself is like no other – it’s fully tiled and lined in oak, with art on the walls. Very James Bond,” Campbell says. The architect envisaged the garage as a large car showroom, built to very high specification. “When the homeowners are in residence, the garage door is left open and people drive directly into the bottom of the building,” says Whitaker. “From here, they enter the house via a suspended glass door system into a timber-lined lobby that contains the cantilevered staircase