Blackpool House | Glamuzina Paterson Architects

Blackpool House was designed for a couple who wanted “a house that was at home in the tree canopy” of their lushly vegetated lot on Waiheke Island in New Zealand. Others factors that Glamuzina Paterson Architects had to consider were the steep topography of the site, the clients’ modest budget, and fitting the house within the existing trees.

Given the lot’s lack of flat building space, it made sense to build a vertically-oriented house with a small footprint. Furthermore, the house is a split-level design so the floors can step down with the slope. A double-height living room is at the lowest level with the eat-in kitchen a few steps above. Another half-flight of stairs leads from the entry up to a mezzanine loft overlooking the living room. From there the stairs turn and go up to the bedroom and bathroom at the top of the house. The four levels add up to 81 m² (872 ft²) of floor space.

The mezzanine is used as a library and study. Though the cozy window seat could be used for the occasional guest, the space seems too small for regular use as a bedroom. However for those needing a small second bedroom, it could probably be made a little bit bigger without affecting the dramatic design of the living space too much.

The exterior is clad in durable black metal, a practical low-maintenance choice given how challenging it would be to work on the exterior of this house. The dark color helps the house blend into the trees. A similar cladding was used on the Pavilion In the Woods, another small modern house built on a steep site.

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Photographs by Sam Hartnett, courtesy of Glamuzina Paterson Architects. Via Archello.

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