I used to play soccer on this site before it was subdivided – when it was the field on Fort Dorset in Seatoun Wellington!

The plan was constrained by the lot sizes and in our early mass and location studies of house we arrived at a three level scheme with the bedrooms above the living areas and a study/ office perched above the entry.

We worked hard to create an entry that opened to the street and formed part of the streetscape, while still providing privacy and a threshold to the dwelling. I find that this transition from street to living spaces is a really hard one to design well. Too often, entries and closed off to the street, and I feel the streetscape is richer when the entry spaces are not just legible, but celebrated. Its a strong detail where you can define the identity of the dwelling and express something about the character of the clients. The big entry says hello to the street = hence the name: Hello House

The house has a double height living north facing living space that ties all the elements of the house together.

Many of my clients are very involved in the design process. Not all – some prefer to step back from it all. Dan designed and built the double height shelving to tie in with the open stairs. Dan was working on one of the Lord of the Rings films at the time and we had some crazy meetings very late in the night to fit in with his hectic schedule. I remember going through the design with him at 11pm one night! It was a fun project!

I seem to attract clients that are really passionate about design… I am now working with Dan on another project in Wellington which is great.