Casa Del Nord by Studio2 Architects

Set on one of the world’s most prestigious golf courses on New Zealand’s North Island, Casa Del Nord is a captivating retreat for its golf aficionado client – a place to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, surrounded by pine trees and sand dunes.

Guided by the belief that architecture is about people, Studio2 Architects’ ethos resonated with the Sydney-based client, who sought a home to “celebrate life and have fun,” recalls Paul Clarke, director and architect of Studio2 Architects. Surrounded by a links golf course set on a rugged coastline, the unique site in Te Arai offered inherent cues to connect with the landscape, inspiring the design team to frame its changing qualities as an experiential rite.

A robust, agrarian quality is established with metal roofing, exposed copper chimneys and cladding, completing the home’s nature-driven palette.

Bordered by a pine tree forest to the east, south and west and coastal views to the north, the house is carefully composed to enhance connections between people and place. Three sleeved pavilions are grounded by a raised platform, maximising sightlines across the site’s striking natural surrounds. Folded roof forms rest atop glazed and screened facades, creating a delicate floating effect that effectively “sculpts the home onto the land,” says Paul.

Timber cladding playfully harmonises with the pine tree setting, while concrete accents echo the ashy tones of the bordering sand dunes. Sliding timber screens allow the building envelope to be adjusted in response to privacy needs and solar exposure, their slatted composition casting ephemeral patterned light across indoor and outdoor volumes. A robust, agrarian quality is established with metal roofing, exposed copper chimneys and cladding, completing the home’s nature-driven palette that longs “to age and further settle into the site over time.”

Copper-lined walls ground the dwelling’s southern elevation, with full-height windows creating visual separation between the home’s three wings.

Copper-lined walls ground the dwelling’s southern elevation, with full-height windows creating visual separation between the home’s three wings. A stone pathway serves as an invitation of discovery, to journey through the landscape and enter the central pavilion, “without knowing what lies beyond,” says Paul. Through this unassuming entry, the home’s central volume offers a dramatic expansion of space. A deep-hued, gallery-like interior unfurls, comprising kitchen, living and dining spaces, surrounded by light and landscape.

A galley kitchen and scullery run along the eastern edge, where retractable screens connect the interior with the site’s coastal aspect. A cantilevered island bench invites visitors to gather and delight in the natural views, its floating form intersecting with a raised shroud that cleverly integrates bar shelving. Raised on steel legs, the back bench embraces an agile furniture-like quality, balanced by the solidity of the home’s oxidised concrete floors.

“The outdoor room occupies the lowest point of the site, punching out to the views and celebrating the surrounding landscape.”

The pavilion’s western edge is fringed by an off-form concrete hearth framing an open wood fireplace. This half-height structure buffers the living area with a sense of enclosure while maintaining high-level views to the pine forest beyond. Exposed chimneys accentuate the home’s robustness, a key expression of the architecture drawn into the more granular details of the interior. A generous lounge and dining setting is comfortably scaled for the client to enjoy alone or in good company, opening northward to a tranquil outdoor terrace.

Anchored by the off-form concrete fireplace and barbecue plinth, “the outdoor room occupies the lowest point of the site, punching out to the views and celebrating the surrounding landscape,” says Paul. An off-form swimming pool scales the site’s descent – “a piece of sculpture that sits gracefully on the land and feels like an agricultural ruin, as though it’s always been there.” Plunging into the pool, ocean views are maintained at eye level, fostering a powerful connection to place.

Stained timber linings offer visual ties to the home’s off-form concrete gestures, creating a continuous expression of horizontal grain that lends warmth and tactility.

Flanking the central pavilion and set back to the south, lateral wings accommodate the home’s private zones. To the west, three bedrooms host guests, affording separation from the hub of the main space, while a tranquil bedroom suite for the homeowner extends to the east – “a space to relax and rest amid nature,” says Paul. This thoughtful multiple pavilion layout allows visiting family and friends to comfortably dwell under one roof. Manicured lawns infill the site – an homage to the nearby golf course that foregrounds the client’s cherished native garden.

Throughout, a moody material palette embraces occupants and frames the verdant tones of the landscape. Stained timber linings offer visual ties to the home’s off-form concrete gestures, creating a continuous expression of horizontal grain that lends warmth and tactility. Stone accents, nuanced black tiles, polished plaster walls and burnished tapware balance sophistication and strength, expressing that “there’s a special quality but you don’t need to be too precious,” says Paul.

Driven by comfort, joy and experience, Casa Del Nord is “a peaceful place to switch off, lay back and enjoy life.”

Driven by comfort, joy and experience, Casa Del Nord is “a peaceful place to switch off, lay back and enjoy life,” as the home thoughtfully frames the experience of daybreak and the transition to nightfall. With inherent adaptability, “the way the house operates is multifaceted, with its mood altered by simple transactions with the building envelope,” reflects Paul.

Architecture by Studio2 Architects. Build by Precision Construction. Structural engineering by Constructure. Joinery by Johannes Erren Cabinetmakers.