Rural Hill House

This is a large new family home aiming to sit subtly on its site and provide shelter and connection to land and whanau

The house is situated on a rural Wellington hilltop site that enjoys expansive views to the sea and rural hilltops alongside the challenge of strong winds and exposure to the elements.

Shelter, both physical and emotional, is created by embedding the home into the hill and providing verandah rooms and enclosed courtyards. These intermediary spaces, connect the interior with the broader landscape whilst mediating exposure to rain, wind and sun. They enable sheltered elemental spaces for the family to enjoy the rituals of family life and connection to the farm beyond.

The ground floor has a square courtyard floor plan that is buried into the hill on three sides, reducing the bulk of the home visually on the site and protecting it from the elements. The perimeter stone clad walls extend out of the hill to create a sense of solid shelter from wind and rain, behind which are the softer intermediary spaces and internal courtyard. These walls define the line where the wild rural paddocks end, and the more sheltered domestic spaces of the home begin. The green roof above extends out from the hill, blurring the line between where the hill ends and the house begins.

The first-floor main living space looks into the courtyard below, and over the green roof of the ground floor to the farm. It has an L shaped floor plan with its own sheltered courtyard and verandah room nestled between the hill and the main living space.