Forest House in Auckland, New Zealand by Fearon Hay Architects

Fearon Hay Architects were the masterminds behind this timber clad, 600m2 gabled homestead. Set at the foot of Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges the house was constructed to offer more than just a home. Instead it was created as a space that engaged different elements, different buildings, with the ability to slip between the buildings via courtyards, cooking spaces or simple gabled structures. They wanted a home that was an exciting place to live in, one that echoed the lifestyle of living on a farm.

The owner had been collecting vintage timber pieces for years, stockpiling large beams, pallets of native timbers and a huge supply of totara. “We thought we could build him a house that carefully curates his extensive timber collection. So there’s a patchwork of these different timbers and we sought to bring them all together tonally so that the end product was beautiful aesthetically,” said the architects.

The exterior is clad in native timber boards, as is the shingled roof. Dark timber floorboards spill out onto the timber verandah. Sliding shutters of solid timber enclose the verandah, allowing the occupant flexibility and choice in regards to creating intimacy by closing them, or openness by opening up the space to let in light and air.

The architects played on the nature of the different types of timber available, seeking to pull out different personalities and emotions that the timber evoked. “While timber can be used to create solidity, warmth and mass, it can also be incredibly fine. We enjoyed playing with this tension. While there are some very large and rustic elements, there is a fineness and a lightness to the enclosure and layering of it,” said the architects.

There’s a strong relationship to concrete here too. The voluminous interiors are created with cast in-situ concrete masses, bracketing the interior spaces to the floor, adding a weight and strength to the design. While the concrete walls are imposing, the richness of the timber floors make the high walls feel grand, like a type of Stonehenge. Softer touches ease the hardness, like the simple, finely milled timber beam that sits proud of the fireplace, a basic mantle but graphically strong. The jute rugs, the acres of white flowing curtains all add softness to the otherwise capacious space.