NZ TV HOUSE
(^) // STILT HOUSE
WORDS // JOHN WILLIAMS
G
uy Marriage is a lecturer in
construction methodology at
the Victoria University School of
Architecture in Wellington, teaching
his students how to design buildings that
will “stand up”, as he puts it. Having never
actually built a house himself, he was to put his
knowledge and experience to test.
“I think it’s the birthright and the want of
every architect to build their own place,” says
Guy. “I love the process of building and it’s a pity
that so few architects participate in it.”
Unable to fi nance his holiday home project
independently, Guy pooled his resources with
members of his extended Wellington-based
family — cousin Briony Ellis and her husband
Roger Wood — to design a modern-day Kiwi
bach at Pukerua Bay, a half-hour drive north of
the capital.
The site itself was challenging for a number of
reasons, not least the fact it sits right on the high
water mark in an area renowned for ferocious
storms and surging tides that are forever
changing the shape of the coastline.
But that’s only the half of it, explains Guy.
“It’s got just about everything you could throw
at a site. It’s in a tsunami zone, it’s a little bit
unstable, and it’s susceptible to the odd shake or
two, so it’s totally in the hazard zone.”
“But that’s the price of the dream,” adds
Briony. “I don’t see these as issues — they’re
just parameters.
“For me, it was the perfect chance to put my
skills to the test,” says Guy. “In theory, I knew
what to do.”
To mitigate the eff ects of the unpredictable
coastal conditions, Guy decided to build the
house on a platform, supported by dozens of
piles 5 metres above the current sea level. It
comprises two distinct forms separated by
a deck.
“One half of the building, the ‘cottage’,
has lines and proportions that refer back to
the historic Maori Whare Whakairo form
and the early settler’s cottage that was on the
site,” says Guy. “The chimney breast outside
references back to the DoC tramping huts found
throughout New Zealand. The other side is
taller, like a tower, and directly faces Kapiti,
with its back against the hill of Pukerua. It aims
to honour the landscape and the sea as well as
make the most of the view. Overall, the building
has been designed to fi t into the context of the
site, and not look out of place.”
DETAILS
HOUSE STILT HOUSE
LOCATION PUKERUA BAY, NORTH ISLAND
COST $160,000
“I THINK IT’S THE
BIRTHRIGHT AND
THE WANT OF EVERY
ARCHITECT TO BUILD
THEIR OWN PLACE”
- GUY MARRIAGE
ABOVE Located right on the high
water mark, this was an extremely
challenging site to build on
OPPOSITE Simple construction
methods using honest materials
kept costs to an absolute minimum