RESIDENTIAL · PARNELL, AUCKLAND

Parnell house

A three level build replacing an existing 1970’s semi-detached terrace house. 

Many small, compartmentalised rooms were opened up to create generous, flowing living spaces designed for extended family living and the seasonal extremes of New Zealand’s central North island.

Situated high on a cliff with panoramic views of Lake Taupo, the house needed to cater for the extremes of weather experienced throughout the year. The new owners wanted a transformation that would deliver a warm, welcoming family home, built for year-round comfort and capable of easily accommodating overnight guests.

A combination of standing seam copper roofing, oversized cedar rafters, dark-stained timber weatherboards and riverstone cladding gives this luxury lake house its distinctive character and robust material palette. These interventions provide a dramatic shift from a flat, two-dimensional form to one with sculptural depth and architectural integrity.

PHOTOGRAPHER
Lauma Vosa

MATERIALS
elongated red brick slips, black standing seam cladding

Low-angle view of a corner of a modern building with brick and metal paneling against a clear blue sky.
Entrance to Nuerra Architects office framed by green foliage, with a dark door and steps leading up to a glass door with the company logo.

This new three level build in Parnell replaces an existing 1970’s semi-detached terrace house within a heritage overlay, protecting many significant early 1900’s brick clad residential terraces [Arts and Craft, Edwardian style dwellings] and the Neo Georgian style Mayfair flats.

Scale, materiality and detail were considered to meet requirements of heritage overlay. These terraces were push and pulled, massaging the footprints to accommodate contemporary living.

Close-up of a modern building's exterior with brick and metal siding, two large windows, and palm trees and bushes in front.
Modern house with metal roof, surrounded by trees and shrubs, under a clear sky.
Close-up of modern building exterior showing dark metal siding, brick wall, glass railings, and small overhang under cloudy sky.

Detailing references the period architecture with headers to some brick window heads and frames to the steel windows.

A second layer of interest is introduced with the black vertical slat louvres and black suspended horizontal louvres. Detailing is sophisticated and generally contained within the depth of the cladding product.

Elongated red brick slips and black standing seam claddings were selected as contemporary materials which would assimilate into this heritage neighbourhood while subtly presenting a more modern cladding profile.

Standing seam profile references the board and batten claddings and pitched corrugated steel roofs of the neighbouring terraces, drawing on the shadows these profiles provide.

Modern multi-story house with black metal siding and large windows, surrounded by a lush landscaped garden with palm trees and hedges, under a clear blue sky with a tree branch at the top.
Exterior view of a modern building with large glass windows and a red brick wall, with lush green plants in the foreground.
Modern two-story house with a spacious lawn, outdoor seating area, and a balcony on the upper level, surrounded by tall trees.
Modern multi-level house with dark exterior, large windows, balconies, and landscaped front yard, situated on a hillside overlooking a valley with fields and distant mountains.

next project : hilltop house

previous project : taupo lake house