Ground
House
Wellington, New Zealand
In common with the Sounds House, this project was conceived as a house in two parts; a ‘platform’ upon which to live and a simple shell furnishing the interior space above.
In this project the ‘platform’ is solid and substantial. Conceived as an articulated concrete ‘ground,’ its surface is sculpted to create ‘pockets’ of space for relaxing and with various ‘protrusions’ providing places to sit and prepare food. Some ‘pockets’ are semi-submerged, reinforcing the notion that this artificial ‘ground’ is actually an extension of the earth itself - a landscape in both a physical and intellectual sense.
The organisation of the plan is both simple and clear with living spaces at grade and bedrooms on the floor above. A single double height space relieves the rigidity of the diagram, providing a visual and audible connection between the floors to create a more fluid sense of space.
A simple cedar clad timber skin encloses the whole. Its warm, enveloping skin is largely unadulterated by windows, privileging instead subtle shifts in surface and volume to create ‘gaps’ for views and light. Clerestory windows separate roof from wall further dissolving the solidity of the enclosure by allowing light and views to filter through to the interior.
Status: completed, 2001
Budget: withheld at client request
Designer: Amanda Yates and Stephen Bonnington
Architect: Archiscape and Kebbell Daish
Awards:
NZIA Regional Award 2010, Wellington
