Te Hihi House, Karaka Residential Development, New Zealand Home, Architecture, Images
Te Hihi House in Karaka
New Zealand Residential Building ? design by Strachan Group Architects
29 Sep 2016
Te Hihi House
Design: Strachan Group Architects
Location: Karaka, North Island, New Zealand
Te Hihi House

Client Brief:

Having purchased a lifestyle block in rural Karaka, near Auckland, New Zealand, the clients approached Strachan Group Architects (SGA Ltd) to design their new home.

The client brief required a three-bedroom home with an additional study that could also accommodate guests.

Their wishes were for a contemporary ?New Zealand? styled house that blended in with its rural surroundings, without employing a traditional ?farm house? aesthetic.
The new house was also to be home to a variety of pets, so robust materials with low maintenance finishes were asked for.

A swimming pool and wine cellar were requested, as well as a secondary utility entrance in lieu of the traditional farm porch and mud-room. The house also had to relate to the extensive wetlands in the valley below.

Architect Statement:

Te Hihi embraces the interminable rural setting amidst the gentle rolling landscape distinctive of Karaka, 45 kilometers south of Auckland City. The building is sited where two valleys converge to form a narrowing spur of land from which immediate and distant vistas can be experienced in all directions.
 
The main axis of the house follows the incline of the land, expre...