Lynch Street House in Auckland, New Zealand by Dorrington Architects & Associates

Article source: Dorrington Architects & Associates

The original 1970’s bungalow on this site had little to recommend it aside from extensive upper harbour views and adjacent sea views from the second floor. The clients were determined to maintain these views, along with the “beach-side” feel of this unique site.

Outdoor room of the boatshed (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

• Architect: Dorrington Architects & Associates
• Name of Project: Lynch Street House
• Location: Pt Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand
• Completed: 2010
• Site: 1,088m2
• Area: 228m2
• Photography: Emma-Jane Hetherington

A full section in a suburb increasingly hampered by sub-division, the site runs directly down to the water’s edge, where oak trees provide a leafy boundary. The front of the site was to be opened up to the street and left unfenced, creating a generous front yard and increasing the impression of the “old school” beach-side suburb.

In addition to requiring maximum sun and sea views, sustainability was integral to the design. Materials were carefully considered for their energy efficiency and the architecture itself needed to complement this ethos.

Boatshed with main house (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

The house uses water collected off the gabled roofs and the concrete walls and floor of the ground floor take advantage of passive solar gain. The roof also plays host to panels for solar hot water and photovoltaic for power generation. Power is collected from the solar panels on the roof and is fed back into the grid.

Boatshed with a glimpse of the main house beyond (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Another consideration of the brief was to create a family home with distinctive zones, providing privacy when necessary and able to be divided more permanently in the future.

Three separate elements make up the house, a pre-cast concrete ground floor that houses the entrance, home office, house bathroom, laundry, garage and a double bedroom.

Side view of the house (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

The ground floor is linked via a concrete gallery to the timber “boatshed” at the rear of the section. This hovers over the ground, capturing views of the water in front and provides a distinct private space. Housing a second living room, out-door covered room, two bedrooms, a bathroom and separate entrance, it can be entirely closed off from the main house.

A second gabled “boatshed” hovers over the solid concrete base and is accessed via timber stairs. This houses the upstairs living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom suite and a substantial covered deck.

Concrete pavers lead from the footpath to the front entrance (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Dark stained timber kitchen (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Living room opens onto a substantial covered deck (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

A concrete gallery connects the two parts of the house (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

The kitchen island continues as a dining table (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Timber stairs leading up to the main living (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

The gabled boatshed cantilevers over the pre-cast concrete ground floor (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Cantilever provides a covered entry to the house (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Vertical timber screen of the stairway (Images Courtesy Emma-Jane Hetherington)

Tags: Auckland, New Zealand

Category: House

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 11th, 2012 at 1:58 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.