Project: Urunui, Taranaki.
Architect: Gary Brown.
VELUX products: 8 x VSE Electric Opening Skylights, 24 x FS Fixed Skylights.
Some say that it takes a lot to take a farmer off their land, but when it’s an elegant home with wrap around views of the ocean, sometimes the only kicking and screaming comes from the builder. And not even the builder raised his voice on this project; the Watson House in Taranaki. Set back 100 metres from the sea on 40
acres of coastal farmland, the property has substantial sea frontage. ‘You can catch a snapper from the front lawn,’ adds Architect Gary Brown. And they have. Gary Brown wanted to tie the building to the site, with the landscaping an integral part of the total design concept. This linking is further enhanced by the 100 metre long
ha-ha timber wall which varies between 1.5 and 3.5 metres high and separates the landscaped area from the surrounding farmland.
Project: Urunui, Taranaki.
Architect: Gary Brown.
VELUX products: 8 x VSE Electric Opening Skylights, 24 x FS Fixed Skylights.
Some say that it takes a lot to take a farmer off their land, but when it’s an elegant home with wrap around views of the ocean, sometimes the only kicking and screaming comes from the builder. And not even the builder raised his voice on this project; the Watson House in Taranaki. Set back 100 metres from the sea on 40
acres of coastal farmland, the property has substantial sea frontage. ‘You can catch a snapper from the front lawn,’ adds Architect Gary Brown. And they have. Gary Brown wanted to tie the building to the site, with the landscaping an integral part of the total design concept. This linking is further enhanced by the 100 metre long
ha-ha timber wall which varies between 1.5 and 3.5 metres high and separates the landscaped area from the surrounding farmland.
The house faces due north, straight out to sea, echoing the ha-ha curve. “I curved the house around the courtyard on the south side of the house, and wrapped a sandhill around the rear of the courtyard to protect
it from the prevailing westerly wind,” he explains. Builder Noel Gilchrest entered into the spirit of the design, and some of its more challenging aspects such as the spine wall of plastered concrete block that springs
from the sand hill and anchors the house. The 15 degree pitched roof is curved, to face out to sea. Verandahs also wrap the seaward side of the property. On the rear side the roof is pitched at a 75 degree angle.
The curves are echoed inside with sloping walls. Here, Brown specified VSE Electric Opening Skylights. “With this degree of slope we wanted to ensure it was waterproof, and the VELUX Skylights offered proven performance,” continues Brown. “With the Skylights installed at 3 or more metres up, the automatic operation and rain sensors made a lot of sense.” The VSE Electric Opening Skylights can be opened to let the air through for stack ventilation and these are electrically operated. The availability of automatic operation and rain
sensors suits this type of height and position. The house is gas heated by a large gas fire unit with two 6 metre high stainless steel flues affectionately known as the “Huntly Power Station”. Leaving their drystock farm takes on an entirely new dimension for the couple who choose to reside here.
VELUX perfectly fits in the curve....
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