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While the brief called for 5 bedrooms and a separate living space the siting, budget and ground conditions determined a lightweight single storey dwelling. The siting was on the crest of a terrace, close to a mature block of New Zealand bush, to which the house also needed to relate and engage with.

Directing the house to the main westward view also faced the prevailing wind and the traffic noise from State Highway 1. Care was taken to allow the house to be opened up to the west while the details were to take account of the impact of noise and the prevailing wind.

The house was conceived as two pavilions. The ‘sleeping’ pavilion and the ‘living’ pavilion. To allow some definition of the two forms each pavilion was given a different material treatment. The longer ‘sleeping’ pavilion was clad in dark corrugated colorsteel, while the forward more open and light ‘living’ pavilion was clad in a combination of plywood, gapped boarding and zincalume. The strong Kapiti Coast sunlight was filtered and reflected through the timber screens, louvres and linings. Timber louvres are also utilised to provide cross ventilation through the rooms while the windows remain as large openings, minimising the window mechanisms facing west. The floor area was kept to 195 sqm.

Within the ‘living’ pavilion the dining area was located at the core allowing for circulation between the formal living and informal kitchen and sitting areas, also opening out to the west. The circulation through the core between the two pavilions offers a view through the length of the building.

The interior materials are clear finished plywood ceilings, polished concrete floors and exposed double macrocarpa rafters.

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