Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 3 New Zealand | Page 51

First Floor Ground Floor Lower Ground 1 bedroom block constructed of exposed structural steel. Instead of a regular pattern of support columns underneath, they’ve been positioned as if at random, and with none of them placed on the edge. “This enhances the feeling of the house floating over the site,” says Bulcock. “Plus they read more like tree trunks in a forest.” Despite the complexity of engineering involved to achieve this, one end section of the house has an impressive cantilever of about 7.5m over the second L-shaped block positioned lower down the site. This second block is structurally independent from the house and much more regular in its design. Constructed of fairfaced concrete, it contains a cinema and gallery for the owner’s extensive collection of plaster figurines. The two L-shaped blocks are oriented on different axes, creating an irregular shaped courtyard between them. What’s also unique about the house is the flexibility of its facade. The living and bedroom wings are comprised of fullheight glazed bays on both sides. One half Facing page top: A covered parking bay leads under the house to the entrance and central stairwell. Facing page lower and above, left: Operable perforated panels on each window bay can be individually raised or lowered, creating an ever changing pattern on the facade. Above: Plans show how the two different structures are offset against each other forming a courtyard in between. Support columns for the stainless steel structure are positioned irregularly to create the effect of tree trunks in a forest. search | save | share at trendsideas.com