Waterfall Bay house

(at home, The Press)

Architecture - the built environment - should reach out and touch the natural environment surrounding it, believes the designer of an award-winning house in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds.

The Marlborough Sounds, at the top end of the South Island of New Zealand, are flooded valleys where sea and bush meet. Captain James Cook mapped the area in 1769, an event recalled in the names Ship Cove and Endeavour Inlet.

Large parts of the landscape remain little changed since Cook's day. Even when the weather is overcast and drizzly, the Sounds evoke a mood of tranquil calm: here is a peaceful haven far removed from the crazy events and pointless stresses that beset big cities and the workaday world.

Native bush fringes the water's edge; the only sound is birdsong and the lapping of the waves.

Arrive by boat and the isolated mood is accentuated, although some places can also be reached by road, such as Waterfall Bay, in Queen Charlotte Sound - the location Michael Seresin chose for his new home.

Founder of Seresin Wines, in nearby Blenheim, Seresin is also an internationally recognized cinematographer whose credits have included Midnight Express, Angela's Ashes and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Just as Seresin's wines are entirely organic, he favored natural materials for his Waterfall Bay home. Seresin spends much of his time overseas, with his spells at Waterfall Bay occurring at irregular intervals. When he's at home in the Sounds, he still wants to keep in touch with the international community. Technology means he can do this just about anywhere, and it may as well be somehwre scenic. He also wanted to showcase the best of New Zealand's natural and designed environment to overseas visitors.

Architect Pete Bossley has designed many private homes in spectacular coastal settings. He also collaborated on the design of the iconic Te Papa New Zealand national museum in Wellington.

``Achieving a delicate balance'' is the overarching aim of his architecture, writes Bossley in the New Zealand Architects Monographs Series. ``The attempt to achieve elegant spaces, an easy flow of spaces, a sense of openness or a beautiful quality of light, is frequently an attempt to balance opposites which don't always want to balance. A particular enthusiasm of mine is to present through architecture strong, rich ideas, but at the same time achieve a level of comfort which allows the building to fulfill its role as habitation.''

The house encapsulated the notion that each design is a journey the architect traverses with the client, says Bossley.

``Arrival to the site is normally by sea to the jetty, so the double-height glazed stair space reflects the axis of the arrival sequence...''

An old house in the bay was preserved, and the old boatshed is used for entertaining. A new boatshed takes the place of a garage.

The house is nestled onto a bank between the sea and the hillside and surrounded by beech forest and kanaka. Three main components form the main spaces: the living area on the western side, a guest wing comprising two bedrooms beneath, and the main bedroom to the east, reached via a dramatic glazed bridge or walkway. A barbecue deck on the western side gets extensive use.

All spaces are light and open, capturing views of the bush and the water. Even the shower in the main ensuite bathroom refuses to bow to false modesty and looks out to the water - if any early morning water skiers are passing by, good luck to them.

You can stand on the bridge and gaze back at the pavilion-like shapes of the house, or down at the double-height atrium. This use of space enhances the apparent size of the house while providing visual stimulation.

Views towards the waterfall, from which the bay takes its name, were carefully calculated. The main bedroom, balanced on timber legs, looks as if it has just arrived or is about to leave, says Bossley.

All spaces are light and open, capturing views of the bush and the water. Even the shower in the main ensuite bathroom refuses to bow to false modesty and looks out to the water - if any early morning water skiers are passing by, good luck to them.

Timber is the main material used, including cedar cladding, oregon, recycled bridge timbers from Queenstown, and a jarrah kitchen benchtop from Ruby Bay Joinery, of Nelson. Slate paving is used in the atrium.

Decor includes comfortable-looking furniture such as Charles Eames's celebrated 1950s chair and footstool, rugs, and an eclectic collection of lights, expressing Michael Seresin's career as a cinematographer.

While impressive, neither the decor or design is overpowering; the emphasis is on comfort and integration with the landscape.

Pete Bossley's design has been recognized in the 2005 NZIA/Resene Architecture awards. Judges noted: `` The interior is a triumph in timber, exquisitely detailed and crafted to deliver a house which is immediately inviting, enriching and relaxing.''

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