Sculptural not just in its overall form but in its details, this five-storey home sought to burrow and nest while also expressing sinuous forms and cutouts, cantilevers, and balanced forms that are as stylised and elegant as they are robust and unapologetically bold. Both cocooning and dramatic, the house is unique: unusual, unconventional, and beautiful all at the same time — a delightful surprise waiting around every corner. 

The home was designed in section, not in plan, and you can see why. The resultant stud heights make for dramatic spaces that were not treated apologetically but celebrated; spaces that make you feel incredibly secure in the connection to the hillside, yet simultaneously uplifted.

Its unique materials seem chiselled by the notorious winds of Wellington Harbour; yet, although they allude to a vernacular, the design pushes the form into entirely new territories.

Architectural intent, builder’s craft, client’s trust, and a touch of luck all conspired to create this year’s overall winner; an instrument for living, partly musical, partly kinetic, and entirely impressive. You can’t help but feel the pull of it — the way it holds you close while opening up around you, dramatic and sheltering in equal measure.