Castle Rock House

by Herbst Architects

From The Architect

Envisioned as a home to engage with both the sense and nature, Castle Rock House is located three hours north of Auckland and is an experimentation into the traditional kiwi bach. All comprising elements allow for a push beyond the comforts of the everyday home and influence natural interaction with the coastal conditions through not fully-weather sealing all areas and allowing for natural patina and ageing processes to occur. The home sees a series of operable louvre elements, and considered opening apertures punctuate the façade, and respond to the site beyond and the comfort within. Overlooking the crescent shaped beach below, Castle Rock House sits perches on its own crest with coastal views to the south, and mountain views to the north. At the core of this is a play between privacy and protection from the surrounding conditions, and the home’s malleability allows for owner control. Clad in black stained western red cedar, the overall volume is divided into two separate pavilions. Herbst Architects have created an occasional home that encourages engagement across all seasons and embraces its incredible location and aspects.