The Last House

last
adjective
1.   coming after all others in time or order; final.

This is a builder’s house.  Having worked together over time we were thrilled to be able to design this project, for it was to billed as the last house for the builder and his family.  That is to say, after this one there will be no more (only time will tell).

This was a tough site – a Wellington hillside with glimpses of the harbour on an east facing slope.  The brief made the site somewhat tougher – they wanted a pool, which the house would predominantly focus to (on a long narrow East facing sloping hillside, surrounded by neighbouring houses).

The design is a cascading set of volumes which intersect and push and pull to establish beautiful natural light that allows them to change in character throughout the day, responding to the sunlight that enters.  Roof eyelids bring light deep into the plan and north facing fenestration allows visual and physical connection between the interior and the pool court. Angled walls provide windows to the harbour views from the upper level rooms.  A spa pool sits high up on the site sharing a tier with the main bedroom, a place to watch the lights of the city as dusk melts into night.

Time will tell if this is the last house, but it is definitely a house built to last.

Photography by André Vroon