HARDING HOUSE
Athfield Architects
ARCHITECTS
Athfield Architects
CONSULTANTS
Romulus Consulting Group, KAR Architectural Design, Kerrie Radford
DESIGN TEAM
John Hardwick Smith, Jon Rennie, Jaime Lawrence, Paul Cummack, Lars von Minden, Maurice Pipson
YEAR
2008
LOCATION
Wellington, New Zealand
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
In 2004 Athfield Architects were invited up to an extraordinary, exposed and rugged site on the southern edge of Wellington to discuss designing a home for the Harding family.
After a few years of getting to know each other, the site, the seasons, the different aspects, winds and angles of sun, a house design emerged as a simple form hunkering down into the hill and long grass.
Memories of camping and shared open living translated into a robust and durable house with a solid and grounded base and light but tough sheathing above.
A big sheltering roof with honest overhangs, and a large deck creating a platform for movement and the prospect of exceptional outlook and weather, together provide a balance of protective and secure enclosure and vast and open exposure.
The house is loosely structured and has overlapping spaces with multiple but distinct aspects.
It connects directly with both ground and sky, and with the Pacific Ocean.
It shelters against big weather from the north and the south and has sun from early morning until late afternoon.
