BelowThehome’s
shed-likeshapeand
Zincalumecladding
mightbeprosaic
butthesilverwrap
is engaging.Entry
is viaa low-ceilinged
foyeroffthecarport,
whichis recessedinto
the main building form.Tokomaruisabout 20 minutessouthofPalmerston
Northandhasa populationofabout550.Th e re’sa
dairy,a schoolanda steam-enginemuseum.Theroads
arewideandletterboxesaremarkedwithnames,not
justnumbers.In2015,MichelleandPaul,theowners
ofthishome,becamethetown’snewestresidents.
Employedbythearmy,Paul’scareerrequires
relocationeveryfewyears,sothecoupleknewwell
inadvancewheretheywereheaded.Withenough
timeontheirhandstobuildinbetweenpostings,they
bought 3700 squaremetresoflandontheoutskirts
oftown.Theprivate,tree-cladsectionwashometo
mosquitocolonies,butthecrescent-shapedpondin
thesouth-westedgesoldit tothem.
Thebank,however,wasn’taseasilyconvinced.
Withlocalhousepriceslow,theexpatsofPapakura,
Auckland, had to be resourceful in assuring the valuers
thattheirbuildwouldcomeinonbudget.Questions
aboutcostquicklyevolvedintoconversationsabout
size.“Wecouldeitherbuilda bigcookie-cutterhouse,
orwecouldgetanarchitectandbuildwell,not
necessarilybig,”saysMichelle.“Wedecidedtobuild
small,paymorepersquaremetreandliveina house
thatwasn’tfullofmassivesacrifices.”
TheycalledinTimGittosandCarolineRobertson
ofSpacecraftArchitectsinWellingtontocreatea
south-west-facingsilversquarewithanasymmetrical
pitchedroof.Theirfirstmovewastomakethehouse
relatetothepond,a peacefulviewthatwillalterlittle
overtime,turningawayfromanencroachinggroup-
homedevelopment.
Thearrivalsequenceisquitelovely– thehouse
presentsasa familiarresidentialbuilding.Entryisvia
a small, low-ceilinged foyer off the carport, which is138 HOME NEW ZEALAND