Photographer: Samuel Hartnett | ArchDaily

Building with the Landscape: Non-Invasive Design Strategies for Steep Terrain

Olivia Poston — Thu, 07 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

The relationship between constraint and design excellence is well established in architectural theory, yet often remains underexplored in discussions of site-specific practices. When architects encounter extreme topography, they face a fundamental choice: transform the landscape to accommodate the building, or modify the building to fit the landscape. The first approach is straightforward and requires the builder to cut, fill, terrace, and build on level ground. This choice, however, carries cascading consequences as any amount of earth moved may destabilize slopes, disrupt drainage, and fracture ecosystems. A growing body of innovative architectural work demonstrates an alternative to earth-moving and retaining walls.

Openfield House / Keshaw McArthur

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Set within the expansive mountainscape of New Zealand's Crown Range, Openfield House exists as an object of pure geometry. Rejecting distinctions between interior and exterior spaces, the family home is designed as a vehicle for living within the natural context, a curated dialogue between organic and inorganic, a celebration of authentic connection to the earth.

Picalo Cabin / Gerard Dombroski Workshop

Hana Abdel — Fri, 05 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000

Last year I built a five-meter long steel spoon and traveled the length of the country photographing it in skate bowls (an exercise in viewing skate bowls and pools as domestic ware). While on this trip I went to Driving Creek Railway and Pottery for a working bee during which we rebuilt a couple of wood-fired kilns. After the working bee, DCR invited me to come back for a month-long residency to build ‘something’. The rules were that it had to be made from what I could find around DCR and due to COVID they had no money to spend.

Te Pae North Piha Surf Lifesaving Tower / Crosson Architects

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 18:00:00 +0000

The lifeguard tower is an essential facility that enables observation, patrolling, and protection at North Piha - one of New Zealand's most beautiful but dangerous surf beaches. The tower is to serve the club and the community by providing a functional and durable building to replace the existing dated structure.

The Versatility of HPL Panels for Interior Spaces

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 01:30:00 +0000

HPL (High Pressure Laminate) panels are made of Kraft paper impregnated with phenolic resins, subjected to heat and pressure. A decorative layer with synthetic polymer allows the sheets to have numerous color and texture options, providing an extremely high strength and durability. This is why HPL is widely used in façades, but it is also increasingly being considered for interior wall cladding, for partitions and lockers, as well as for furniture. It is a material that can be used outdoors and indoors, and even on horizontal surfaces.

Blackpool House / Glamuzina Paterson Architects

Javier Gaete — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The house at Blackpool, Waiheke stands as a black monolith in a densely populated native landscape. The brief was to design a house that was at home in the tree canopy. The architectural solution created a tower that vertically responded to the topography and allowed choreographed connections to the landscape.

Lake Hawea Courtyard House / Glamuzina Paterson Architects

Kritiana Ross — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The physical context was the driver of the formal arrangement of the house in Lake Hawea. It was decided that the overall shape should be a low singular form bunkered in the landscape that responds formally to the immediate context within which it is placed. The courtyard type allowed the building to address continuous enclosure and protection from the elements. The plan of the house was then able to negotiate both the interior courtyard and the exterior landscape. The idea of singular forms clad with simple materials, drove the material and formal qualities of the building early on in the design process.