Gin Point

Gin Point gets its name from the Maori pronunciation of the site – En’gin’e Point. The land was originally quarried for the limestone blocks used to build the Copper Mine facility which is still partially standing. The site sits at the northern headland to Sandspit opposite Kawau Island and offers unsurpassed 270 degree – mainly North, East and Southerly – coastal views.

When the owners purchased the land, the site was strewn with remnants of the quarrying and cutting machinery, as a result, a ‘steam-punk’ interpreted design was devised to connect the house with the old steel and cast-iron elements.

Concept

The overriding concept for the design remained unchanged from the outset. Three separate pavilions set around a courtyard/walkway, follow the curvature of the hill behind. The pavilions protect the courtyard while providing selected glimpses of the Hauraki Gulf. The spaces between the pavilions separate the forms for privacy while also transforming to become social spaces according to the time of day (shade or heat) and weather conditions, channeling cooling breezes or closing them out for comfort. The elements are intended to be experienced and felt, yet controlled as needed, views managed for impact and surprise from all spaces.

The clients were keen to use macrocarpa timber milled on their land, feeding into the ‘natural feel’ and chunkiness of the concept plan. High, sloping roofs create a contemporary rustic, European yet eclectic feel, while tiles and fittings sourced both locally and from Europe, makes the home uniquely theirs.

Achieving Resource Consent in an exposed environment meant the house form rests comfortably with its surroundings – native bush on the lower hill-slopes and remnants of pastural use above, devoid of larger vegetation. A sunken kumara pit and midden, the only remains of earlier Maori habitation, remains protected on the slopes.