Remuera Hillside House
Remuera, Auckland 1973, 2015
Principal Architect - Ron Sang Alteration Architect - Darryl Sang
This home is nestled into a steep hillside along one side of a valley. The long, narrow site, positioned above the road, provides an outlook from every room with large trees planted to maintain privacy from the street.
The house sits well back, midway up the steep sloping site. Sleek and timber-clad, it is discreet in its design statement. A stepped path winds its way through New Zealand kauris, giant and delicate bamboos, exquisite Japanese maples and flowering Camellias to the decked pool level and entry to the house.
The house itself is simple, with touches of drama reflected in such features as the giant cedar-clad five-metre high front door. This is the very first giant Sang Door, designed so it requires no more effort than the average-sized door to swing open.
The all-cedar exterior blends into the surrounding landscape. Inside, white painted spaces flow one into the other. The gallery and workshop are to the left and right of the front door, which opens onto a wide staircase leading up to the living and sleeping quarters. The living areas are broken up to provide general seating and more intimate spaces for conversation, such as the classic sunken den with an open fireplace. Bedrooms and bathrooms are located at the far end.
The extended, cantilevered living spaces have glazed walls that make the trees appear to be inside the room. Throughout the house one is conscious of the landscape.
A restriction on imported building materials at the time of the original build only allowed a maximum house size of 1000 square feet (92 sqm) so allowances in the design were made for future additions.
This included bedroom extensions, living space additions and a concrete swimming pool above the double garage. The pool sits 400mm above the ground floor to provide enough water depth.
The new owners fell in love with the house and are undertaking an extensive renovation, preserving many existing features of the original design.
Photographs by Rees Osborne
New photographs by Dan Dijamco
