A matter of duality

This pair of geometric structures, etched against the sky, is in precast concrete

This is a house of two faces: one robust, immoveable; the other elegant and light on its feet. It’s a contradictory coupling that perfectly suits this Mangawhai site, where the sculpted ground is like a hillside pā, and the home is fortified with concrete walls from the rear but with the privilege of a bird’s eye vista over the vast, verdant terrain.

When the owners, who are of Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Porou descent, first set foot on the land, it spoke to their souls: “We walked onto it and knew immediately: this is