Dune Coast House / Herbst Architects
The site is a large dunescape, carpeted with Muehlenbeckia, which undulates and rolls SW to NE down to a long East Coast beach. Planning restrictions stipulated a 200m setback from the high-water mark.
About Herbst Architects
Lance & Nicola Herbst met whilst studying architecture at the University of Cape Town. After graduating they worked partly together and partly independently on projects in South Africa and immigrated to New Zealand in 1998 and established Herbst Architects in 2000.
One of the couples first projects was their own bach, on Great Barrier Island, for which they received the New Zealand Institute of Architects Award in 2002. The Island is now home to eight of their houses – all off the grid – each designed to have minimal impact on the environment.
For most of the past 15 years, Nicola and Lance have been been asking themselves this: what’s the best way to live in and feel connected to the New Zealand landscape and climate?
LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand
LEARN MORE: herbstarchitects.co.nz
The site is a large dunescape, carpeted with Muehlenbeckia, which undulates and rolls SW to NE down to a long East Coast beach. Planning restrictions stipulated a 200m setback from the high-water mark.
The brief called for a beach house which takes advantage of the spectacular natural environment surrounding the site and is able to be used year round. Our response was to lift all of the living functions of the Kawakawa house onto an upper level to give views of the ocean from the living room and to lift the bedrooms up and closer to the light and the canopy of the trees.
The brief was for a primary residence for a couple without children with provision for occasionally used guest accommodation for friends visiting from overseas. The site as presented was a steep slope with magnificent sea and coastal views to the east into which a building platform had already been cut, with its associated timber pile retaining wall.
Bethells Bach was recently completed by Herbst Architects on the west coast of New Zealand. A two-bedroom bach set back from the beach overlooking a hillside at Te Henga. Description by Herbst Architects: 30km North-West of Auckland City, Bethells is a coastal community located on one of Auckland’s popular west coast beaches. Bethells community is
Architects: Herbst Architects Project: Bramasole House Location: Waimauku, Auckland, New Zealand Photographer: Lance Herbst, Patrick Reynolds Bramasole House was completed in 2016 by New Zealand studio Herbst Architects. The house is located in Waimauku, Auckland, New Zealand. Description by Herbst Architects: The site’s previous existence was a market garden with shelterbelts forming large outdoor rooms. Our
Architect: Herbst Architects Project: K Valley House Location: Kauaeranga Valley, New Zealand Photographer: Lance Herbst Courtesy of Herbst Architects K Valley House is a vacation home completed in 2016 by Auckland-based Herbst Architects. Description by architect: The clients are a couple, a director and director of photography in the film industry, their jobs involve them
Project: Clevedon Estate Pavilions Architects: Herbst Architects Location: Clevedon, Auckland, New Zealand Photographs: Lance Herbst Herbst Architects has designed the Clevedon Estate Pavilions, a stunning addition to a rural estate in Clevedon, Auckland, New Zealand. These twin pavilions serve as an extension of the existing home, blending dramatic design with rugged yet refined architectural elements.
Castle Rock house is designed by Herbst Architects and won the NZIA – Auckland Architecture Award 2015. The house is located on the coast of New Zealand, near Auckland. The architect’s description: 2015 NZIA Jury Citation: “Yet another in a series of exemplary beach houses by this practice, this project has a directness and simplicity that