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Clay Block House
Clay Block House
Auckland, New Zealand
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Other Projects by Daniel Marshall Architects
Clay Block House
Auckland, New Zealand
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2025
Photos
When the child of one of my first clients, for whom I designed a home on Waiheke, and for which I received the first NZIA award of my career, contacted me looking to renovate their home, I was excited about helping them with the project. I think Andrew was around eight years old when I met him.
When I visited the home, situated on a very large north-facing site in Kohimarama, I quickly realised that fully renovating the decrepit house would be an extremely expensive process, so I gave them two options:
1) To do a few minor but dramatic alterations and leave most of the house as is.
2) Subdivide the site, with the access to the rear site running on the southern face of the site.
This could help leverage them into a position whereby they could afford to build a new home for themselves from scratch.
They ran the numbers and felt they could finance the subdivision and design of both dwellings, so we started on a design. The planning rules had recently changed for the site, which allowed for a more generous height, so this meant we could design both houses on a tight footprint, allowing more landscape area around each home. The very end of the site dropped off and had a small stream which had been piped in on the next site up. We decided to separate this part of the site with a planting covenant, and the clients planted several hundred native plants. Leaving a stream to run, with appropriate planting surrounding, is the best way of alleviating flood concerns and improving water quality.
Although originally designed on a ‘for sale’ basis, the clients became very engaged with the process, so it was very much like doing their own home. When we were looking at materials for both the houses, we looked into the idea of clay blocks, a material used commonly overseas but rare in New Zealand, and were attracted to both the environmental benefits and the reduction of the number of subcontractors required. We had a German builder involved from the early stages, and he not only laid the blocks but plastered the exterior and interior as well. We were right in the middle of Covid lockdowns at this time too, so supply chains were of concern. The builder directly imported the blocks and Internorm triple-glazed joinery from Germany. Interestingly, there was virtually no inflation on the products during procurement as opposed to almost a 100% increase in some commonly used building materials in the New Zealand market. And the triple-glazed, thermally broken joinery cost less than the usual double-glazed non-thermally broken joinery that was available in New Zealand.
The design strategy for the home was to use a relatively small footprint, with an in-situ concrete stair running up the centre of the house so we could get as high as allowed to make the most of the amazing views afforded. The garage and the utility rooms were on the bottom level, lower ground. The living areas, divided into two distinct spaces by the stair, were on the upper ground. The bedrooms and a family living area were on the next level. And the stair continued up to a roof terrace. The client was insistent. Four levels. He was right though, the views were amazing.
The materiality of the home expresses the structure. Clay Blocks are plastered and the timber framed elements on the upper levels are clad in horizontal oil stained cedar weatherboards.
The interior picks up on warm, natural Scandinavian stying, with oak flooring and lime plastered interior walls. The use of paint was minimised ( plastic ) and high VOC products were avoided.
Using clay blocks and triple glazed thermally broken joinery, which at that time was not being produced by any local manufacturers, greatly enhanced the environmental performance of the home. As mentioned the use of plastic paint and high VOC materials were avoided. European technologies, such as the Zender heat recovery and ventilation system and Stiebel-Eltron hot water heat pumps for all the hot water needs further increases the environmental credentials of the home.
When I visited the home, situated on a very large north-facing site in Kohimarama, I quickly realised that fully renovating the decrepit house would be an extremely expensive process, so I gave them two options:
1) To do a few minor but dramatic alterations and leave most of the house as is.
2) Subdivide the site, with the access to the rear site running on the southern face of the site.
This could help leverage them into a position whereby they could afford to build a new home for themselves from scratch.
They ran the numbers and felt they could finance the subdivision and design of both dwellings, so we started on a design. The planning rules had recently changed for the site, which allowed for a more generous height, so this meant we could design both houses on a tight footprint, allowing more landscape area around each home. The very end of the site dropped off and had a small stream which had been piped in on the next site up. We decided to separate this part of the site with a planting covenant, and the clients planted several hundred native plants. Leaving a stream to run, with appropriate planting surrounding, is the best way of alleviating flood concerns and improving water quality.
Although originally designed on a ‘for sale’ basis, the clients became very engaged with the process, so it was very much like doing their own home. When we were looking at materials for both the houses, we looked into the idea of clay blocks, a material used commonly overseas but rare in New Zealand, and were attracted to both the environmental benefits and the reduction of the number of subcontractors required. We had a German builder involved from the early stages, and he not only laid the blocks but plastered the exterior and interior as well. We were right in the middle of Covid lockdowns at this time too, so supply chains were of concern. The builder directly imported the blocks and Internorm triple-glazed joinery from Germany. Interestingly, there was virtually no inflation on the products during procurement as opposed to almost a 100% increase in some commonly used building materials in the New Zealand market. And the triple-glazed, thermally broken joinery cost less than the usual double-glazed non-thermally broken joinery that was available in New Zealand.
The design strategy for the home was to use a relatively small footprint, with an in-situ concrete stair running up the centre of the house so we could get as high as allowed to make the most of the amazing views afforded. The garage and the utility rooms were on the bottom level, lower ground. The living areas, divided into two distinct spaces by the stair, were on the upper ground. The bedrooms and a family living area were on the next level. And the stair continued up to a roof terrace. The client was insistent. Four levels. He was right though, the views were amazing.
The materiality of the home expresses the structure. Clay Blocks are plastered and the timber framed elements on the upper levels are clad in horizontal oil stained cedar weatherboards.
The interior picks up on warm, natural Scandinavian stying, with oak flooring and lime plastered interior walls. The use of paint was minimised ( plastic ) and high VOC products were avoided.
Using clay blocks and triple glazed thermally broken joinery, which at that time was not being produced by any local manufacturers, greatly enhanced the environmental performance of the home. As mentioned the use of plastic paint and high VOC materials were avoided. European technologies, such as the Zender heat recovery and ventilation system and Stiebel-Eltron hot water heat pumps for all the hot water needs further increases the environmental credentials of the home.
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