This house is imagined as a palimpsest — a form that layers memory, erasure, and rewriting. It carries the imprint of its site: the trace of a beach once experienced, alongside the ongoing erosion and transformation at its edges.

Arrival compresses movement through a dense, tree-lined forest, where light flickers between silhouettes before opening suddenly to the horizon. This dramatic shift between enclosure and release shapes the spatial experience.

The parti responds by being both grounded and lifted, both courtyard and pavilion. Thick, curved walls guide movement eastward toward light and openness, softening the thresholds between contrasting conditions. Spaces remain connected, yet subtly shift and transform as you move through them.

Conceived as a weekend retreat for a small Auckland-based family, the house is designed to be shared with friends and loved ones, and to endure across generations.

Contractor: Hicks Construction Images: Dawid Wisniewski & SKN Studios