Piha House by Daniel Marshall Architects

Black sand, relentless ocean, jagged basalt and a sky that dances between fiery white and violent seething black. Piha. 

The environment calls for an architecture which holds it's own, an uncompromising exterior that resists the elements. The materiality of the house comprises of black stained cedar, low e tinted glass in aluminium frames, natural timber elements, and the entry element to the southwest, an in situ cast curved wall clad in local basalt. The living level cantilevers over the garage and entry below, a slab of granite projecting toward the sea which had long since eroded the form below.

The interior space is an arrangement of complex forms. One much like a rock pool, calm and temporarily removed from the intensity of the ocean. Subtle timber, pink hues and the exposed curve in-situ wall reminds us of that interesting microcosm space.

The house is almost completely self sufficient, with solar + battery, water tanks and on site waste treatment.

Photography by Jackie Meiring