HOUSE 09 _ The Getaway

Set into the steep coastal landscape of Cass Bay, this family home reinterprets the traditional pole house as a contemporary, site-responsive dwelling. Elevated above the terrain, the house minimises ground disturbance while engaging directly with its hillside setting and expansive bay views.
The structure is expressed through a clear and honest material palette of timber, steel, and concrete. Slender structural elements lift the living spaces above the ground plane, creating a sense of lightness and allowing the landscape to pass beneath the building. Large areas of glazing open the home to light, views, and coastal breezes, while carefully placed semi solid elements provide shelter and privacy.
Internally, the plan is organised for family living, with shared spaces oriented toward the outlook and more private rooms embedded into the slope. The architecture balances openness and protection, combining the elevated clarity of a pole house with contemporary comfort and robustness.
A family home that sits lightly within its environment - an honest, restrained reinterpretation of a familiar New Zealand typology, shaped by site, structure, and view.