Fox House
There is no wasted space in the three-bedroom 130m2 footprint. It does everything it needs to and nothing it doesn’t. The dramatic dark exterior form references its volcanic setting, though its volumetric divide provides a functional purpose for the interior too: playing public vs private / active vs resting / living vs sleeping spaces off one another in an L-shaped plan configuration.
Built: 2016
Engineer: Kirk Roberts Consulting Engineers Ltd
Builder: Harley Builders
Images: @jasonmannphotography
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Peka Peka Beach House.
Set back from the foredunes at Peka Peka on the Kāpiti Coast, this beach house is conceived as a year round retreat from Wellington and a gathering place for extended family. Slightly elevated above the shifting sand, the site looks west to Kāpiti Island and sits fully exposed to the persistent sea breeze. The brief called for a coastal home that felt timeless and enduring, able to engage with its landscape while offering genuine shelter from the wind.
Peka Peka is live on our website, find it under the 'architecture' tab to read more!
Built: 2023
Builder: @agilitybuilders
Interiors: First Light & @tatedesignnz
Images: @davidhenselphotography
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Falcons Rest
The design responds directly to its setting. Conceived as Three Peaks, the house is composed of distinct gabled volumes that reflect the surrounding mountain forms. Two glazed gables anchor the plan. One opens to a generous living space oriented toward panoramic views, while the other contains a layered bedroom wing. Between them, a folded roof element defines the threshold between shared and private realms. A stair and mezzanine bridge this space internally, connecting family life across levels while allowing retreat when needed.
Built: 2023
Builder: Phil Marsh, Plumb Level Square Builders
Images: @davidhenselphotography
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The Perch
A chance visit to First Light Studio opened the path to this hillside site, long hidden at the top of the valley. First surveyed in the 1930s and left untouched ever since, the land sits in full northern sun with open views to native bush. Wind shaped and elevated, it offers both exposure and quiet.
This project is recently completed and just uploaded to our website, follow the link in our bio to learn more!
Built: 2022
Engineer: Essen Engineering Ltd.
Builder: @blacksheepconstruction
Images: @davidhenselphotography
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Falcons Rest
In a landscape defined by vast skies, hard light and winter snow, Falcons Rest stakes out a quiet presence in Castle Hill Village. Surrounded by tussock plains and the rising forms of the Southern Alps, the house is designed as a durable alpine base for a multi generational family. It brings together parents, their three daughters and extended family in a setting that demands resilience, while quietly embedding long term accessibility across the ground floor to ensure the home can evolve with its owners over time.
Built: 2023
Builder: Phil Marsh, Plumb Level Square Builders
Images: @davidhenselphotography
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Peka Peka Beach House.
Material choices are grounded in the coastal setting. Low in profile and deliberately robust, the house pairs white washed Canterbury brick with dark timber, echoing the tones of sand and driftwood while standing up to harsh conditions. Inside, curved walls, concealed doors and brick screening elements temper light and create privacy, shaping interiors that feel calm, sheltered and richly textured.
Built: 2023
Builder: @agilitybuilders
Interiors: First Light & @tatedesignnz
Images: @davidhenselphotography
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Jacks Point Little Houses
Each house is sited to maximize natural lighting, and to take advantage of passive heating and cooling. A highly insulated thermal envelope maintains a comfortable and healthy internal environment all year round. Timber framed windows recess into the building envelope to add depth to the elevations; their locations create unique view shafts to the landscape beyond. A limited palette of materials, colours and external finishes have been selected for their durability, honesty and integrity.
Jacks Point, Queenstown
Completed 2021
Built by @cammellprojects
Photograph by @mickeyross_
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