Westmere Box House - CAAHT studio
18248
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WESTMERE BOX HOUSE

completed 2026

 

Our clients dreamed of a home with generous space for their family that captured harbour views, with a preference for orthogonal geometry and for muted natural materials.  They wanted the house to work hard as a busy family home, but to also provide a refined, generous space for entertaining.

 

The site sits on a ridge that stretches out northwards to a small headland containing Westmere Park.  The elevated position affords wonderful views up & down the Waitemata, but the close proximity to the water also comes with risks around coastal erosion on the rear boundary.  A concrete palisade wall was installed to stabilise the rear of the site, supporting a new swimming pool and protecting the new house from ground movement.

 

We designed a collection of boxes, with carefully placed openings, clad in brick, timber and metal, arranged along the site at various levels and offsets, some stacked and some pushing into each other.  The resulting assembly balances internal spaces with external formal composition, responding to the program, street, topography and views.

 

Some of the boxes are expressed internally, pulling the exterior materials through into the interior palette. The finishes comprise textured mid-tone hues bringing a moody grey pallet through the circulation and kitchen / dining / living areas of the house with the remaining interior surfaces being more neutral tones, letting the natural textures and grain of the timber and brick elements shine through in these spaces.

 

The house features extensive green roofs to all of the lower roof areas.  These roofs absorb rainwater, slow down stormwater runoff, keep the house cooler, and provide additional bird & insect habitats.  This biophilic design feature extends through the entry area, providing visual softness in contrast to the brick and timber cladding.

 

photos by Jackie Meiring Photography

 

Awards: Finalist – Home of Architecture Interior of the Year 2026 – Bathroom Category