Natural Theatre – Mahuika by Daniel Marshall Architects

Blending into the black of the bush, Mahuika embraces the theatricality of its natural environment. Faced with a challenging site, Daniel Marshall Architects (DMA) used the unique context to infuse Mahuika with a sense of legend and soul, crafting a secluded home with a fiery past.

Located on scenic Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, Mahuika sits isolated, far off the main road at the end of a beaten ‘goat track’. Following the track, visitors are immediately immersed in the dense Auckland bush before emerging to find the cedar-framed structure, with the sea, bush and creek as its view. After a shocking incident that saw the project burnt just weeks before it was initially due to be completed, DMA named the home after the Māori Goddess of Fire, giving the project the strength of ancient narrative and an invigorating sense of renewal.

Located on scenic Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, Mahuika sits isolated, far off the main road at the end of a beaten goat track.

In both its context and brief, Mahuika presented DMA with obstacles to overcome. The changeable nature of the Auckland climate meant that the interior design had to complement flitting natural light and striking external scenes. In response to the remote location, construction teams would have to negotiate the long track in wet conditions, driving their vehicles up what would essentially become a running stream. In addition, the design of the house would have to be conducive to minimal visits to the shops during the week. Finally, the client specifically requested a swimming pool measuring 20 metres, presenting the issue of spatial configuration within the confines of the site.

DMA convincingly responds to the difficulties proposed by the project, finding beauty within innovative solutions. Rather than fight the aesthetic effects of the vacillating weather, the practice embraced the environment as part of the reality of living in Auckland, applying floor-to-ceiling glazing to the architecture of Mahuika in promotion of an authentic lifestyle. The resulting home reflects images of the outdoors internally and externally, functioning as both a witness to and canvas for the dramatic natural landscape. In the kitchen, a generous whole foods storage system meets the requirements of the home whilst the sleek surface of Fisher & Paykel appliances reflects the view of the bush and sea. Responding to the client’s request for a pool, the architects pushed the amenity to the edge of the site, boldly crafting the architecture of the home with a cantilever over it. The effect is a visually grand façade that also offers shade to a section of the pool.

DMA convincingly responds to the difficulties proposed by the project, finding beauty within innovative solutions.

Inspired by the sheltering environment, DMA further develops the idea of privacy in Mahuika. The bathrooms benefit from the natural sense of enclosure afforded by the surrounding foliage, with each room positioned on the bush-facing side of the home with a window that neatly captures the view. Treating the bedrooms, DMA demonstrates an understanding of social dynamics, separating guest rooms from main suites by a change in level. The master bedroom is given prime location above the pavilion, offering residents intimate access to the impressive sights beyond. Throughout Mahuika, an earthy material palette is used to modestly echo the surrounding bushland, gifting the home with the same calming qualities. A solid concrete foundation transitions to timber framework, a stone wall and black cedar cladding, which visually melts into the neighbouring bush.

In Mahuika, the Auckland climate has the ideal subject. DMA designed the building to gracefully accept the ever-changing environment and vistas, welcoming them as defining features of the home and reflecting them back out as parts of itself. In this way, Mahuika presents the natural theatre of Waiheke Island.