Fielding House by Cheshire Architects

Project: Fielding House
Architects: Cheshire Architects
Lead Architect: Pip Cheshire
Design Team: Stephen Rendell, Emily Priest, Ryan Fothergill, Pip Cheshire
Construction: Lindesay Construction
Landscape Contractor: Eden Heath
Landscape Design: Boffa Miskell
Location: Mangawhai, New Zealand
Area: 302 m²
Year: 2017
Photo credits: Sam Hartnett

The Fielding house is a glazed pavilion siting in the dunescape above a coastal golf links. The two planes of roof and main floor are joined by three timber clad conic forms that house fireplace, bathrooms and kitchen. A partial lower floor is reached by lift and houses guest suite, garage, storage and plant room.

The glass pavilion is a familiar form in mid-century architecture and is here given some complexity as the cones break up the open expanse of the house. They provide enclosure amid the open pavilion and unexpected revelation of the house’s spaces and the views beyond as one moves between the gently inclined walls. In a wide-open landscape, the presence of the tapered forms supporting the roof above slows the sitting space and induces a sense of calm repose from which to embrace the wide horizon.