The Waiheke Island Local Rock House has been recently designed by Patterson Architects in New Zealand. This design creates a contemporary residence for an expatriate family. Its sited on a steep East facing coastal escarpment just above a pohutukawa fringed white sand beach and is accessed by a beachfront lane below. The home uses locally sourced pyrite rock in its construction. Its composition seeks to create a sense of place in New Zealand.

The residence features a rock mass which forms a bridge to exploit both the sea frontage and limited Westerly light. Under this, the living area nestles into the escarpment contrasting an intimate living terrace to the North-East with a grotto-like western courtyard. Bedroom areas are grouped above the main living area as finely scaled louvered lookouts at the canopy level of the pohutukawas.

The building uses materiality to become intimately scaled to ‘belong’ to its setting. This strategy is empathetic in that it intends to facilitate the homes occupants to feel the same way.

Visit the website of Andrew Patterson Architects here.

Photos: Courtesy of Andrew Patterson Architects