Ranch Puke – Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

Featuring Vulcan Cladding in Protector - Ebony, this family home by Architecture Bureau has a timeless yet modern look.

Project details

Architect
Architecture Bureau Ltd
Interior Design
Gezellig Interiors
Builder
Calley Homes Ltd
Product
Vulcan Cladding in Protector - Ebony
Photography credit
Jono Parker
Completion date
2022
Location
Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

Featuring Vulcan Cladding finished with the soft lustrous tones of Protector – Ebony both inside and outside, this award-winning family home by Architecture Bureau has a timeless yet modern elegance gracing a traditional form and lush, long-lasting materials.

Beginning with a sloping, narrow site in suburban Mount Maunganui, this house replaces a previous 1950s home, which had been renovated and extended in an ad hoc manner over the years. Some of the failings of the original home sparked the homeowner’s requirements for the new build, which included a clear entry, a decent setback from the road, and an easy flow between living spaces and the outdoors. They also requested a traditional character to the exterior of the home, while still creating clean, modern lines.

When it came to creating the form of the home, Architecture Bureau responded with a classic gable and a design that connects the main living areas with landscaped courtyards, outdoor dining spaces and the pool. Vulcan weatherboards grace select exteriors, delivering the desired traditional aesthetic while also allowing for the rigours of the coastal location.

Inside, interior designers Gezellig Interiors specified Vulcan timber to carry through to the living spaces, solidifying a visual connection between indoors and out. Finished in Abodo’s Protector coating in Ebony’s almost black, with hint of brown hue, this timber lends a sense of grounding to the interiors, and contrasts nicely against the pale timber and textured stone used elsewhere in the design. Hidden Vulcan-clad internal doors further the sense of calm that emanates from these living spaces.

As Vulcan boards are thermally modified, there are no harsh chemicals used in the production process, which along with the low VOC water borne Protector coating, makes it a healthy choice for internal spaces.

As the thermal modification involves the use of heat and steam as a means of treating the wood, the boards will stay straight and true even through seasonal temperature changes.

Timber lined interiors like these have been found to have psychological benefits for those who live in them, as well as physical ones. Findings from studies as widespread as Norway, Canada, Japan and Austria have found that timber spaces have a calming effect, and even lower the blood pressure and heart rate of occupants. Most people report finding timber lined rooms ‘warm’ and ‘cosy’, which are desired qualities for a family home such as this one.

Indeed, for this family, a warm and modern character, and an inherent sense of longevity and user-friendliness has been created through the material choices, allowing them to balance their busy lives and enjoy family time.

Judges for the NZIA 2023 Architecture Awards also attested to the success of the design, awarding this home a Housing Award for the Waikato & Bay of Plenty region.

Awards:

  • NZIA 2023 Architecture Awards, Waikato & Bay of Plenty Region – Housing Award

Products

See more about the products that have been used on this project.

Abodos Vulcan Timber Cladding thermally modified NZ pine
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Protector Coating Abodo Wood
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