Victoria Avenue Residence is a two storey dwelling located on one of the folded ridge-lines that characterise the topography of the Auckland isthmus. The rectilinear site, on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Walton Street in Remuera, invites the form to respond to the double street frontages, whilst looking eastward over the adjoining valley. By sitting the building parallel to the Walton Street frontage, a beautiful, north facing private yard is created, enhanced by careful placement of landscape elements and a swimming pool. On the Victoria Avenue frontage, a shallow reflection pool mirrors the dual-sided fireplace and the timber screen above, emphasising domestic occupation whilst providing privacy to the upper level.

The house is intended for use by an extended family, with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, home office, a media / entertainment room and two-car garaging. The lower level contains the semi-public spaces – living and entertainment spaces, the office with separate address, and the flexible media room. The upper level offers a more private environment, with bedrooms orientated around the family room intended for use by three generations.

The design of the house continues Archimedia’s interest in the Louis Kahn concept of Servant and Served spaces. The habitable ‘served’ living spaces are differentiated from the ‘servant’ spaces (entry hall, scullery, bathrooms, and laundry) by a central corridor spine. Two separate forms are used to articulate these two functions. The design is also strictly modular, with repeated spaces and structure dimensioned to suit the residential activity.

The building also maintains Archimedia’s interest in the tectonic poetry of construction – a crafted “roof-works” superstructure that is suspended over a transparent lower level. The rectilinear and horizontally proportioned timber superstructure is supported on a rhythm of in-situ concrete columns, accentuating the modular grid, with essentially only glazing between.

The orientation of the plan creates long, north orientated faces for the building, maximising the admission of sunlight to the living spaces and bedrooms. Dark-stained Accoya timber battens delineate the form and add a layer of “craft” whilst also acting as privacy screens for the bedrooms upstairs.

To the inhospitable southern orientation, the servant element is distinguished by standing seam cladding returned to ground level on all external surfaces. The singular, folded geometric form offers the street frontage to the south face of the building few openings and presents as a solid, metallic volume in contrast to the delicate, permeable, timber superstructure above.

Remuera, 2017

Project Team

• Lindsay Mackie
• Sean Park

Photography: Archimedia