Stillwater House
The Stillwater Home home is designed to be an integral part of the landscape, as if it has always been there. The use of honest and enduring materials and a long, low profile that follows the slope of the site helps to nestle the home into its natural surroundings.
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Built: 2014
Engineer: Law Sue Davison
Builder: PC Builders
Images: Jason Mann PhotographyTwo distinct identities are presented through the detailing of the home: one; the rustic and protective farmhouse, sympathetic to its rural setting, and two; the light, open, contemporary solar house, sympathetic to its tech-savvy inhabitants.
Low and ranch-like from the road, the house leans back into the hillside; its solid-walled aspect providing protection from the cooler south. Horizontal picture windows take in the panoramic views but maintain privacy from the neighbouring properties. The northern aspect, however, tells a completely different story! Here the structure reaches skyward: lofty ceilings and full-height glazing invite the landscape in, making the most of the views and the sun’s warmth and light.
In the balmy north-Auckland climate, living outdoors is the main objective of this house design. The canopy roof sheltering the living wing soars well past the building limit to create a covered outdoor room, complete with its own fireplace. Mirroring the action of the building volumes, a terraced patio steps down the contours of the site and gradually dissolves back into the landscape again.
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In order to balance – and minimise – cut and fill, the building steps up with the natural contours of the land. Timber has been used throughout; cladding, linings, and structure, whose creative engineering accommodates large spans. Glulam portals feature along the northwestern length of the house and standard framing members create a 8,800L box ‘ridge’ beam, supporting the main living wing roofs.
Passive solar principles inform the envelope. The southern façade has a low stud and small, select openings to frame views. Containing utility spaces (bathrooms, kitchen, TV nook) it acts as a thermal buffer to the taller, more open living spaces to the north. Here the larger glazing is protected by a deep eave which blocks summer sun from entering the interior. In the winter however, the exposed concrete floors soak up the low winter sun.
No services were on site at the outset. The roofs collect and store up to 55,000L of rainwater. Extensive tree planting has been undertaken by the owners – species closer to the house for coppicing over the winters, when a wet back fireplace boosts the HWC. 20 225W grid-tied solar PVs sit on the northwest-sloping roof and provide the balance of the home’s annual electricity.
