Waikawa House

Designed for a flat suburban section in Waikawa, this 3 bedroom house optimises its north aspect by placing a covered courtyard with outdoor wood fire in full sun. All living space is arranged to spill backwards from the courtyard, towards bedrooms and garage along the south border of the site.

Exterior timber and aluminium claddings were selected to create contrast. This contrast is echoed inside with timber plywood ceilings and polished concrete floors. A bleached, honed concrete block chimney adds a third textured element to further accentuate the sunny, high-use space. For practicality, the entrance to the house is located near the garage. Here, the exterior courtyards honed block is repeated to form the walls of a dynamic interior entrance lobby. Moving through the rooms, these entrance walls are then used to provide a tactile backdrop to the kitchen, and a calming feature wall in the home office.