Elegant yet simple family home located in an established suburb of the North Canterbury town of Rangiora. The square set site offers a slightly elevated platform catching glimpses to the nearby hilltops while receiving unobstructed solar access in its urban setting. The challenge was set to embrace the elevated setting while retaining privacy and being sympathetic to the landscape and character of an established area.
The material pallet is simple yet elegant. Locally sourced Abodo timber was chosen for its efforts towards sustainable timber cladding as well as the lightweight aesthetic it offers the gable forms in their elevated setting. A dark timber battened fence perched upon the off-shutter concrete retaining wall is pushed and pulled along the northern elevation offering breaks for landscaping, while also anchoring the design with a heavy form.
The design responds to privacy by incorporating a textured mix of screening elements. Abodo planter boxes, off-shutter concrete retaining walls and dark timber battens are scattered along the eastern and northern boundaries, tied together with landscaping elements to shroud and conceal the interior environment without losing the occupants relationship to the urban setting.
