With Mount Maude magnificent in the distance, this recently completed family home in suburban Wanaka (South Island, New Zealand) is designed to capitalise on a sloping site by taking in amazing alpine vistas while also providing privacy from the street.
Designed by Barry Condon of Condon Scott Architects for a young family, the house is formed by two intersecting wedge shapes that are positioned to take in views and sun. Warm cedar cladding is delineated by the dark joinery around the windows, which step down the sloped site.
Entry to the home is on a half-level, with a half-flight of stairs up to the family bedrooms and a short flight down to the living areas and guest rooms. “As this was a sloping site surrounded on three sides by suburban streets, the key challenges were to create privacy from the street and utilise the slope of the site with a split-level configuration,” says Barry Condon.
A double height foyer and library is a key feature of the interiors, with floor-to-ceiling shelving, an access ladder, and a mezzanine floor that looks out to the mountains. This overlooks a private courtyard to the west, where the afternoon sun can be enjoyed around a built-in barbecue and circular schist-clad fire pit.
The kitchen is sleek with a mix of grey and timber cabinetry, which harks back to the exterior cladding. Blackened steel and schist elements in the home reference the landscape and provide a rustic touch. The photogenic master bathroom is luxe with its herringbone tiling, concrete basins and brass fittings.
Bargour Residence speaks the language of its landscape and site while providing a contemporary, comfortable and private home for its occupants.
Condon Scott Architects is an award-winning, Wanaka-based practice that has completed over 600 residential and commercial projects in the Otago region over the past 30 years.
