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House in Remuera

Brenner Associates, Architects

The following two houses are variations on the eternal theme of the sloping site. Each shows what can be achieved by an imaginative approach to the problems of owner, site, and timber construction.

This house is situated in Arney Crescent, Remuera, Auckland. It was designed by Brenner Associates for Mr. Mrkusich of that firm.

Changes of level clearely articulate the kitchen-dining-living-studio spaces under the long sweep of the roof as the house stretches elegantly down the hill. The slender post-and-beam structure, the elegantly dramatic walls of glass, the textures of timber, plywood, brick, stone and other materials, the furniture and the furnishings, all have been handled with that easy sophistication that has been called the “contemperory manner”.

If such a comment should sound slightly querelous, we must emphesise that the house is clearly admirably tailored to its owner's way of life. It is however, unlikely that this sophistication, this “contomperory manner”, is applicable to the New Zealand house in general.

But this is a particular and personal house. As such it is very interesting and, we think, successful.

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