Context
Sited just beyond the shadow of Maungawhau, the building is a response to the mountain's dominant presence in the landscape.
Design
The roof planes rise to the sun, reaching for the mountain and extending over a double height glazed volume at the northern end of the house. This communal living space is a transitional zone, both interior & exterior, filtering and controlling the sunlight and framing the slightly incongruous rural views of the mountainside in an otherwise suburban landscape.
Traditional painted weatherboards and natural timber provide links to the existing housing stock and are combined with materials that are fire-formed like the volcano, steel portal frames, glass and caged rocks.
A building intended to stand out and still be very much of its place.
NZIA Resene Local Award Winner 2007 Jury Citation
"Crouched on its site in a salute to the sun- and mountain - this house clearly delights its elderly occupants. In stark contrast to the neighbouring closed fronted villas, the house maximises both views and sunlight, boldly addressing the street without abandoning its neighbourhood connections through careful consideration of materiality and scale. The architect's approach to sustainability, cleverly employing passive heating and ventilation principles, creates a welcoming, warm, light and comfortable environment - a simple yet often overlooked ingredient essential in making a house a home."
Products used in
Mountain View House Mt Eden
Professionals used in
Mountain View House Mt Eden
More projects from
SGA
About the
Professional
Strachan Group Architects is a multiple award-winning Auckland practice. Grounded in a specific and detailed first-hand knowledge of construction the team brings a highly developed sense of craft to the task of creating sustainable buildings with precision and elegance.
The keen sense of attention that the practice brings to the interpretation of a client’s brief is equalled by a rich and complex understanding of how to respond to the subtleties of site, the impacts of the natural environment, and the many contexts within which a building must operate. To these qualities SGA adds a precise understanding of the requirements of construction, with an advanced level of experience of prefabrication and the use of digitally controlled machinery in the fabrication of building elements under tightly controlled conditions.
SGA takes pride in it's ability to communicate ideas about building as they develop in conversation with clients, consultants and contractors. This skill has been honed in the extensive involvement the practice has had in education, where it has delivered a number of design/build projects with architecture students that have been recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Architects by a series of Awards.
Recognised by their peers as an innovative and exciting practice, SGA consists of a group of highly skilled people with a diverse range of complimentary skills. This flexible team is highly attuned to new developments in the building industry, appreciated by their many clients and capable of undertaking work at any scale.