Standing on this section felt like being on top of the world. The extensive 270 degrees views, beautiful northern aspect and elevations are incredible. We needed to pause for a moment just to take it in. 

This was a very sloping, exposed site in a very high wind zone with a tricky oval-shaped potential platform. There was no driveway, little parking, difficult access, no services and it was totally off-grid. A blank paddock with a herd of cows!

We chose to design and build a high-performance home* on a passive approach, as environmentally-consciously as possible. But it was also important that the house had character, elegance and style with access to protected outdoor areas.

* (high performance defined as a home that uses an alternative building system to achieve a NZ construction building standard well above minimum, resulting in a home that is warm and cozy, has low energy consumption, is dry, healthy and comfortable to live in)

Every part of this project was carefully thought out with sustainability and "eco" in mind.

This included recycling and waste management during the construction process.

With the intention of up-cycling old Oregon Imported beams as features, we designed the space with high ceilings to create openness, mirroring the expansive surrounding views.  This afforded a large mezzanine, reminding us of childhood, which became a dual purpose kids playroom/ sound-proofed media room. 

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