Brown Vujcich House, Auckland

Overview

A modern two storey house in the inner Auckland suburb of Herne Bay.

Project Summary

​​​​​​​​​​The Brown Vujcich House is a recipient of an NZIA Award and a Resene Colour Award in 2011. This house is located on a narrow urban site in the heart of Herne Bay. Tight site controls and a sloping site resulted in a long narrow building that steps down the slope of the site. One of the main features of the house is the entry which is accessed via a bridge across a moat-style area of established planting.

The entry is glazed with translucent glass to give privacy and a beautiful soft light to the interior spaces. The brief to the architect was to design a functional family house that supports a relaxed life style, a view of the harbour and a place to house a collection of 1950-60’s furniture, art and ceramics. While the design is economic in its delivery of space, it cleverly relies on the interior spaces opening to the exterior decks, terraces and views beyond.

The house makes a strong sculptural statement to the street bringing back the tradition of 19th and early 20th century housing with their strong street presence, with the street façade having greater degree of ornamentation than the other facades.