#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Seear-Budd Ross completes minimalist dwelling on New Zealand coast
Pale pine cladding and a white-metal roof bring a minimalist feel to RK Residence, a home near the coast in New Zealand by architecture studio Seear-Budd Ross.
The design of the home is informed by the timber-clad gabled forms of existing buildings in the area, which sits between the coast and a wooded hill in Wellington.
Responding to these two different conditions, Seear-Budd Ross divided RK Residence into two volumes connected by a glazed link.
One volume is more visible and contains living areas and a garage, and the other is more private and contains bedrooms and studies.
"The home is split into two pavilions, living and sleeping, with a courtyard and glazed link in the middle," studio founder Thomas Seear-Budd told Dezeen.
"The front is deliberately exposed, with a visible connection to the street and the harbour, whilst the courtyard and sleeping quarters are progressively more private in expression and experience," he continued.
The living block to the north comprises a single living, dining and kitchen space in one half and a garage in the other, separated by an entrance path that leads directly into the central courtyard.
In the sleeping block, three bedrooms and a study occupy the ground floor, while a smaller upper level tucked beneath the large roof contains a further bedroom, bathroom, an additional study and a terrace.
Both blocks are topped by shallow hipped roofs, clad externally with standing-seam metal panels and expressed internally through an exposed timber structure.
"The hipped roof has been stretched, creating a broad, low-slung profile," described Seear-Budd.
"This roof structure was integral in pursuing a highly unified exterior, as it neatly encompasses the garage and the dwelling, creating a sense of continuity and calm in keeping with the landscape at its edges," he continued.
Horizontal planks of pale New Zealand pine clad the exterior, while inside, darker timber floors and ceilings are complemented by grey marble in the bathrooms and kitchen.
These contrasting material finishes are intended to blend in with both the natural landscape of the beach and the neighbouring houses.
"The exterior is wrapped in New Zealand pine with a grey tone and band-sawn finish that allows the house to feel like a piece of weathered driftwood one might find along the beach opposite," said Seear-Budd.
Seear-Budd Ross was established in 2019 by Seear-Budd and James Ross. The studio was once longlisted for a Dezeen Award for its renovation of a early 20th-century villa.
The photography is by Rory Gardiner.
