WELCOME TO WARAKI HOUSE…

The spaces we inhabit, both at home and at work, have a profound impact on our wellbeing. Everyone experiences space differently. Energetically we create a relationship between us and the place we are in, and its design impacts our experience by affecting us both physically and physiologically. We are constantly communicating with our surroundings in an intangible way, having an energetic exchange with it. This is Energy Based Design and I have been working with it for several years when designing office environments.

We stumbled across the land at Bronte, which wasn’t even in the area we were looking to live. Arriving on a wet winter’s day to views of sea, sky, vineyards, and apple orchards, it felt like we were coming home. 

Then, it had a small apple pickers cottage on it which we nicknamed “the shack”. This was surrounded by a blend of mature native, exotic and fruit trees.

Waraki House is named after the morning chorus of the native birds that are abundant here. It is designed to harmonise with nature, creating a haven of wellbeing and sustainability. The energy and quality of the internal spaces, as well as their visual and physical connection to the natural environment was a key focus for the design.

The home is a simple T shape, positioned to ensure that disturbance of existing trees was kept to a minimum. The living space has extensive glazing to both sides, the North to maximize thermal gain from sunlight whilst keeping the views of the Estuary and its ever-changing tides to the South. The home is split level, respecting the contours of the site, requiring minimal cut and fill of the earth. With two bedrooms plus a dual-purpose entry/study, its economical in size and the design minimises corridors so that space is optimised.

Our love for mid-century design is evident in its form and finishes, and these are fused with advanced sustainable building technologies to create a home that minimizes the impact of the house on both the site and the environment.

It has been designed following the Living Building Challenge Core Certification framework, by the International Living Futures Institute. This framework puts the connection to nature, beauty, and a healthy environment on an even footing with the typical water, energy and materials concerns. It outlines the 10 best practice achievements that a building must obtain, addressing Place, Transit, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity, Inclusion, Biophilia and Inspiration.

The flow of the spaces and their connection to the outdoors, as well as the key sustainability features of the timber LVL structure, solar power, on site wastewater treatment and eco labelled materials all contribute to this home’s reduced environmental impact. Biophilic Design has been a key focus, with all of the senses activated as you experience the building.

All interior elements and finishes were chosen to ensure the spaces are healthy, amping up wellbeing as you inhabit the spaces. Natural elements, such as the polished concrete floors with local stone aggregates, the Southland Cheery beech ceiling and macrocarpa window reveals create a seamless connection to the exterior.

The home has lower embodied carbon than a standard build, with an all timber LVL structure which negates the use of steel and power is generated onsite with a solar array and battery system. Rainwater is used for irrigation, and all waste water is treated onsite with a natural worm system. Local suppliers and trades were chosen where possible.

Data has been gathered across a 12-month period to look at the operational energy profile of the house, showing that it produces over 70% of all power consumed, which includes running an Electric Vehicle, a saving of approximately 6.3 tonnes of carbon per annum.

We aimed to create a simple, sustainable home harmonious with its surroundings that doesn’t have a negative impact on the earth and we are looking to rewild the land in the coming years.

Waraki House: Photo Gallery

Waraki House: Biophilic Design Story

One of the key positive influences in design, as in life, is Nature.

It has been scientifically proven that Nature has a positive impact on our wellbeing, whether it is through the effect of Nature sounds on the nervous system to calm it, or the effect of looking at a tree rather than a wall whilst in hospital promoting faster healing. We have an unconscious response because we are part of Nature, something its sometimes easy to forget.

Our need for Nature is a primal one and as we continue to develop our cities to house more and more of the population, we seem to be building to cover the earth rather than connect to it.

The design of Waraki House uses the philosophy of Biophilic Design to create a house fully connected to Nature that provides a multi sensory experience as you inhabit it, leaving occupants and visitors relaxed and uplifted.

energetic and sensory CONNECTION

On arrival, the house is hidden behind a timber fence which only provides glimpses of what lies beyond. This is designed to create anticipation for the visitor, as well as a sense of safety for the home occupiers as they have privacy from the road. The visitor is led up steps and through the garden, eliciting curiosity as well as a sensory engagement with the garden landscape, some of which drapes itself over path, inviting touch. The garden is a diverse mix of exotics and natives, a haven for bees and birds with a “Dr Zeus meets New Zealand native” vibe. Aromatic herbs and medicinal plants adjacent to the kitchen create an opportunity to smell as well as touch.

As the main door opens, the uninterrupted estuary view appears, and the magic of the Waimea estuary is revealed. This water is visible from most spaces in the home and the constantly shifting tide in the estuary creates a moving backdrop that draws the eye.

Connectivity with the landscape is maintained as the pavers are of the same material as the floors, one rough, one polished. Local river pebbles from Appleby and the Wairau River ground the house into its local landscape. Thresholds are level, so the experience is seamless and flows.

respect for the land

The house sits on an East-West access with the estuary views to the South. The house has been designed to respect the contours of the land which slopes gently West to East. Rather than a level building platform, the house is split level, with the living areas sitting at the lower level, allowing the interior to connect to the exterior seamlessly. This creates positive interaction between the house and nature so that they are intrinsically linked.

natural rhythms and patterns

To maximize passive solar gain, there are windows to both the North and South facades of the main living space. This also creates a play of light throughout the day in the space that is constantly changing. The eaves are designed to allow sunlight to penetrate deep into the space in Winter but stay shaded in Summer. The surrounding trees provide ever shifting shadows throughout the home.

There are no window coverings on the South side of the main living space, which keeps people connected to their circadian rhythm, promoting wellbeing.

The dining area opens completely, creating an inside/outside space, surrounded by Nature with a canopy of Southland Cherry beech that echoes the canopies of the trees outside.

Lighting is provided from diverse sources and heights so that different moods can be created.

Cooling is passive, via narrow vertical windows which allow for cross ventilation, or of course the sliders which open to fully connect the home with the landscape.

The concrete slab heats and cools throughout the day, depending on the weather and heat is provided in Winter via underfloor heating, powered by the solar array and battery system.

REFLECTING THE LANDSCAPE

The colour palette of the more intimate spaces of bedrooms and bathrooms is inspired by the surrounding landscape. Greens and blues wrapped from wall to ceiling provide havens of calm and frame the view. The main living spaces have a more neutral palette which complements the native timbers used in the ceilings and windows reveals rather than competing with them. Doors are a dark blue grey, inspired by the colours of the Richmond Hills in the distance.

Each inhabitable room has views out from more than one aspect, capturing the site and its surroundings.