Soaring Box House, Modern New Zealand Home, Waikato District Property, NZ Architecture Images

Soaring Box House in Waikato

6 June 2023

Design: Turner Road Architecture

Location: Cambridge, Waikato District, on the outskirts of Hamilton, North Island

Photos by Amanda Aitken

Soaring Box House, New Zealand

Located in rural Waikato, this sprawling family home offers the perfect response to the clients’ wish for a “place of tranquility where family and friends could be entertained with style and ease.”

While making a striking architectural statement in the landscape, a commitment to the use of raw textures and materials, and a colour palette that compliments the surrounding environment makes a perfect pairing. Internal and external glazing not only connects occupants but creates a symmetry with its outdoor surroundings.

Design Features and Creative Solutions:

An expansive site with panoramic views provided the perfect blank canvas for a bespoke design that met the needs of a family of five in rural Waikato. Making the most of the north-east aspect, the main living area, open plan kitchen, living and dining spaces all face towards a vista of established trees and foliage.

While separate wings provide space and privacy with the master suite, a guest wing and children’s bedrooms all located in distinct and separate pods, the communal areas of the home promote inclusiveness and easy interaction with a spacious open plan design.

The well-appointed kitchen has access to both the scullery and bar room with dual access from the bar to the outdoor kitchen/BBQ area. Perfect for entertaining, the outdoor living space is an extension of the home’s internal main living area. Accessed through large glass sliding doors, it is complete with a fireplace and bar access. The cedar slatted ceiling with integrated lighting seamlessly extends from the inside out providing a sense of one continuous space, while vertical louvres allow the space to be utilised for entertaining all year round.

A utilities passage creates a clear division between the main living area and functional spaces.

Sustainability was a key consideration with the soaring glazed wall on the north-eastern elevation not only designed for the views but also to invite the sun in to warm the interior during winter. Conversely to the south, glazing has been used sparingly to reduce heat loss. The large roof overhang and the high-level vertical aluminium louvres, protect the internal space from overheating in summer.

Other considerations include highly insulated walls and ceilings; tilt-panel concrete walls for thermal mass, double glazed argon filled aluminium joinery; and passive ventilation from well-positioned windows and doors.

The texturally rich exterior seamlessly blends cedar cladding with Eurostyle standing seam iron and precast concrete to complement the natural environment.