Located on a waterfront site in Akaroa, this house combines contemporary design with a sensitivity to the scale and aesthetic of the existing built fabric. The design employs a series of steep gables, with perpendicular window proportions and vernacular materials evoking a sense of regional familiarity without any historical reproduction. The key design move is to break the building into a series of discrete steeply pitched gabled roof that recede and push forward.

This creates the look of a number of modestly sized buildings and maintains the intimate, mostly small scale built form of Akaroa. It is the design intent that from a distance or when walking by on the waterfront the house will appear as a series of ad-hoc gabled buildings; each with slightly different character that will display pleasing variety and interest.

Large areas of glass frame expansive views of the picturesque landscape of harbour and hills while a series of timber shutters complement the overall aesthetic and enable the house to be enclosed when not in use.