Point Wells Gables House

Dark cedar gable with a tall concrete chimney tower

A gabled tribute to rural forms and the beauty of hand-crafted timber construction.

Concrete garden steps leading to an outdoor fireplace terrace
Dark cedar gable with a tall concrete chimney tower
Concrete garden steps leading to an outdoor fireplace terrace
Black weatherboard cladding framed by native grasses

The composition of gabled forms, organised around a central boardwalk, reveals a collection of outdoor spaces that respond to the changing position of the sun.

The immersive interior is a layered interplay of joints and grains, raw and delicate, trusses and bolts –and rich views out into the light.

Dark timber kitchenette styled with vintage ceramics
Twilit pavilion glowing from within at dusk
Garden pathway approaching a dark timber pavilion entry
Black-clad gable with full-height glazing among trees
Concrete chimney detail rising through native plantings
Stone pathway leading to a dark cedar gable entrance
Glazed living pavilion glowing at dusk among trees
Outdoor dining deck lit warmly beside the gable house
Sunlit deck nook framed by patterned timber shutters
Cluster of dark timber gables linked by a stone pathway
Twin gable pavilions with a firewood store between them
Sunroom lounge overlooking open lawn and trees
Kitchen with cattle-skull decor beside an espresso nook
Vaulted dining hall lit by twin pendant lights

Point Wells Gables House

Awards

Habitus House Of The Year - Selected as one of 25 innovative residential designs from all over the Indo-Pacific

NZIA National Architecture Award - Shortlisted

NZIA Auckland Architecture Award - Housing category

New Zealand Wood Resene Timber Design Awards - Winner Residential Architectural Excellence

New Zealand Wood Resene Timber Design Awards - Highly Commended for the Resene Overall Supreme Award

New Zealand Wood Resene Timber Design Awards - Highly Commended for the Interior Innovation Award

Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Award - Bronze Award in the Residential Category

HOME Magazine Home of the Year Award - Shortlisted

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This beautifully crafted dwelling sits on a site alongside an estuarine tendril of Omaha River. It consists of three gabled volumes – a three-part play, if you’ll forgive some literary pretension, that consists of two separate wings, running north to south, connected by a boardwalk running east to west, to the guest wing. 

 

The home’s exterior references the gabled barn form of the rural vernacular – perhaps even a collection of rural out houses – however the architectural language has been abstracted and refined into a memorable and distinctive domestic setting. And, with the purposeful positioning of outdoor spaces in between the volumes, there are plenty of opportunities to follow the movement of the sun throughout the day. 

 

The exterior cladding, interior lining and exposed elements are​​a tectonic celebration of  raw and weathering timber, all assembled in a demonstration of honesty of construction and materials – all joints and grains are exposed, and every detail, from sills to doors, windows to trusses, regarded as a chance to dwell on detail and emphasise the sense of the handcrafted, bespoke quality.

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