Treasure Box House
treasure
noun
- something of great worth or value
also: a person esteemed as rare or precious. - a collection of precious things
transitive verb
- something of great worth or value
This project is a repository for treasure. The accumulated objects it contains define a history, the life of a woman and her family story. The ‘box’ that contains these items is part embedded in a small slice of Wellington hillside, projecting forward as far as it can towards the water and the city. The box has to house the artefacts snugly, providing protection to the collection of things.
Mostly though it has to house the occupant and provide both comfort and delight. This house is tailored, to the collection and to the owner. Each piece of furniture was considered and arranged and rearranged through the design process. The process was collaborative and iterative and the house emerged.
The building site presented a significant challenge, being accessible only under a cable car up a path that was demolished in order to create the building platforms. The hillside above also suffered a significant slip prior to construction starting which added to the structural gymnastics that were required to form the house. Now that it is complete from the outside it nestles quietly into the hillside, and opens up surprising views through the spaces internally.
Importantly it holds and keeps as precious the inanimate and living treasures it houses. It is very much an interior that looks outward.
Photography by André Vroon
