The Anzac Bay House is a permanent oasis for a young family perched on the banks of Anzac Bay, Waiheke Island, fifty kilometres across Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. The site’s quiet outlook towards a sleepy bay has been a relatively tightly kept secret, despite being close to shops and amenities in Ostend. An original house built after World War II, at one time belonging to a family with several houses along the street, was demolished to allow for this new build, set only slightly back from the original footprint.
On approach from the street, the house fits with the landscape, nestling in to the steep south facing bank with Anzac Bay below. A linear pathway meets the house and blends in to it to cascade down to the glass living space, leading the eye to the expansive views of Anzac Bay. A key element in the design is the unobtrusive nature of the house from the street-front entry, as the view of the bay is maintained from the road. From here, the house appears to float on the landscape. Once inside, the steep drop of the south-facing bank below gives the feeling of immediacy and immersion into the Bay, both in the living wing and from down a generous hallway space.
The house is split into two wings. The clean, linear forms are in contrast to the soft rolling banks of the bay though the design and material palette draws inspiration from its setting. Contrasting raw, earthy materials including dark stained cedar, local rock and white render give a local yet Greek-like appearance with rendered parapets. The two forms are placed adjacent to each other, a bedroom wing and a living wing and are linked by a compact entry courtyard viewed on entry from the front door.
The third ancillary structure is the garage with a large cantilevered entry canopy. Combined with the two main house volumes this helps give a sense of containment on the site and makes the house feel more protected, private and more spacious than it’s relatively modest 218m2 footprint.
The house is designed to use sustainable practices of passive design including geothermal mass, cross ventilation, roof rainwater stored in two concrete tanks buried on the property, and wastewater treated on-site. The house is also designed to keep running costs to a minimum with insulated walls, double glazing, hydronic in-floor heating, and the orientation and design of the house with the sun in mind.
The client’s brief for a strong, resolved and functional house has been achieved by creating a sense of solidity, simplicity and connection to its site. With rigorous attention to site planning, layout and crisp construction detailing, the house was truly tailor made for its setting, and for modern family life.
Material Used :
1. Timber cladding - JSC Cedar Weatherboard
2. STO render cladding
3. Local Volcanic Rock
4. NU Lock Windows & Doors
