9 Elmstone « DANIEL MARSHALL ARCHITECTS

24.03.11 by Nick Sayes

9 Elmstone

A suburban context – the site splays out from the end of a quiet Auckland cul-de-sac and slopes steeply away towards the North.

The brief was to provide a family home for a young family. It was important to maintain open ground for the boys to play on and to allow for a vegetable garden. The house was to be as economic as possible considering it’s 400m2 floor area.

The architectural strategy that developed was to arrange house volumes as densely as possible in such a configuration, which dealt with the steep site, and to ensure that ample ground was left in play for the boys. Spaces are arranged vertically over three levels, each with its own distinct outlook toward the garden and pool. The primary form is en- closed beneath a single sloped roof, which allows variation of floor and ceiling levels to individualise the spatial experience throughout the home.

Industrial materiality; precast concrete walls and simple concrete floors, play against the sophisticated yet subtle detailing of more traditional residential finishes. The placement of concrete elements within the home contributes to a thermal mass to absorb the heat from plentiful northern and eastern sun to regulate internal temperature of the house.

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