Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/10 | Page 59

often make futile attempts to stop this
process,” the architect says. “For this
house, we embraced the inevitable weathering and warping of materials. The steel
rusts, the cedar greys and fades, and the
eucalyptus planks on the solar screen
crook, cup, bow and twist, becoming
slightly more deformed every day.”
Schwartz says the screen is a gesture
to the natural and man-made landscape.
It recalls the movement of native grasses
in the wind, and is reminiscent of timber
stacks at the local mills of Marin County.

Much of the house is hidden from
view, however – it is only on the inside
that the true size, and the view, become
apparent. The front door is aligned so that
when it opens, there is a sightline right
through the house to the highest ridge
on the hill behind – one of several direct
connections to key topographical features.
“The circulation corridor of the house
runs along the southern edge, coinciding with an uninterrupted loop running
through the home to the ridgeline above,”
says the architect. “A ‘hinge’ in the

Facing page: A wood plank walkway over a bridge
leads directly to the pivoting front door. The floor
at the entry features a mosaic-tiled artwork by
Karen Thompson, depicting a topographical map
of the 16ha property.
Above: The front door opens to a long corridor
that wraps around the south side of the house,
helping to insulate the rest of the building from
the sun. The passageway kinks to the left as the
house turns to embrace the hillside.

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