Sumner’s pointy house is a striking award winner
“Borderline miraculous” was how Home magazine judges described this Sumner house squeezed on to an awkward triangular site.
Designed by RTA Studio, the house that won the Readers’ Choice Award in the Home of the Year competition has equally enthused the jury in the Canterbury regional Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards, winning a Housing Award.
RTA Studio says the design was driven not only by the site but also its location at the south end of Sumner Beach, overlooking the sea, the clock tower, and the headland at the end of the beach.
“The brief for the project was for it to be a house for a couple to share between their other residence on Waiheke Island and their time in Sumner. They will live here for half of the year during winter and summer,” RTA Studio says on its website.
The awkward shape of the site “drove a two-storey solution so that the brief could be accommodated and views of the sea could be gained”.
Sea level rise and the coastal location drove a lightweight solution with suspended timber floors and Abodo cladding, and rough-sawn pine interior linings.
The NZIA jury were impressed by the way the architects responded to the tricky site by creating two angular forms that sit as “striking, sculpted pavilions, splitting the traditional gable roof and segregating living and sleeping areas”.
Each pavilion of the building aligns to each angled boundary, allowing this separation.
“The bold forms and tightly designed elements evoke a sense of drama, yet this effect is softened by warm timbers, artistic furnishings and lush garden views, all of which create a homely and cosy atmosphere,” the jury said.
The jury also praised the way the local beach context is embraced by aligning key outward views, using a sand dune-themed garden and timber cladding that will silver off in the salt spray.
“Sustainability is further supported by passive ventilation, solar shading and a PV energy system, combining to achieve net-zero operational energy.”