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.
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