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Architects: Rafe Maclean Architects
- Area: 124 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Mickey Ross
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Manufacturers: Carter Holt Harvey, Colorcote
Text description provided by the architects. Nestled into a relatively tight back section, every square meter of the lot is used efficiently. Spatial relief is via an external stair to a rooftop deck which offers a lake view and an open sky view.
Warmly clad in scoria-colored color steel – an optical relief in its suburban context and lined with clear finished pine plywood – the material palette is simple and easy to visually digest. Generous insulation levels, a blower-door tested construction, and a Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation system – all make this a very snug and healthy house to live in.
The project’s site is a back section in a relatively new subdivision in Wanaka. The site is surrounded on 3 sides by neighboring houses, with the fourth side facing a council reserve to the east. The subdivision sections are smaller in area than most, with all buildings being stand-alone houses.
We identified the tightness of the site early on, with its height restriction restricting any 2 level solutions – we looked for ways to maximize the usage area while keeping outdoor spaces around the house accessible. The house is not a Certified Passive House – although we did use PHPP thermal modeling to optimize our design decisions throughout the developed and detailed design.
