NZIA Nelson/Marlborough Architecture Award and Colour Award.

Jury citation: “This project was conceived of more than a decade ago, and now stands as testament to the owners’ appreciation for regional modernist architecture and their desire for a design that would consider the different views offered by the site. We experienced the house in an empty state with its new occupants’ boxes ready to unpack. The experience was so rich that it was difficult to register the house as uninhabited or empty. From a distance, the structure is bold presence and arrival is dramatic. Once inside, the scale change embraces and calms the soul. Detailing is meticulous, and every now and then there are quirks that should be out of place yet define the home’s relaxing qualities.”

Perched above Ruby Bay in Tasman, this house extends dramatically to the south, seemingly floating as it delicately rests on two anchored columns—creating a striking approach on arrival.

Designed as a protective shell, the house features a weathered steel rainscreen over painted cladding, with expansive openings that frame breathtaking panoramic views. Generous overhangs and louvered screens provide shade and shelter from the sun, wind, and rain, ensuring comfort throughout the seasons.

Accessed via a stair from the driveway below, the house follows a rectangular plan, with bedrooms to the south and living areas to the north. Positioned high above the sea, it offers sweeping views west to the mountains, south to the rolling hills, and east across Tasman Bay.

The structure is embedded into the site, with exposed concrete block walls providing both retention and bracing. These solid elements contrast with the delicate Douglas fir posts and beams of the main living space, which is warmly lined with Okoume plywood. At the top of the stair, a hallway leading to the bedrooms serves as a vibrant color-box, with reds and oranges echoing the hues of the spotted gum floors.

Photography - Simon Wilson