THIS STRIKING HOME DESIGNED BY MC ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AND B U I LT B Y S T E V E B R O W N B U I L D E R S BRE AKS THE MOULD ON SE ASIDE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN THE C O A S TA L S U B U R B O F S U M N E R .
WORDS KATHY CATTON PHOTOGRAPHY CLINTON LLOYD PHOTOGRAPHY AND MICK STEPHENSON
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
B
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each homes have long been associated with traditional weatherboard materials and cute Kiwi ‘bach’ architecture. But this architect has reinvented the idea of a beachside dwelling with this stunning home on Sumner’s Esplanade in Christchurch. A leaking and deteriorating home was the starting point for this homeowner to make a change. “A repair would have been possible, but it would have been major and unpredictable in terms of cost. So, I elected to rebuild,” he says. Having bought the original property in 2002, he knew the location was right, but the earthquakes had taken their toll on the structure. The location is second to none: across the road from the beach and a block away from the hustle and bustle of the village of Sumner with its shops, cafés and local amenities. The new building needed to do this site justice. In a sense, there was a need to set the bar high. “There were a number of possibilities in terms of design,” says the homeowner. “In the end, I elected to proceed with a three-bedroom home combined with a separate one-bedroom flat above the existing garage at the back of the property.” This gave the homeowner options – a unit for friends to stay in or for short-term rental accommodation. The homeowner gave his brief to Massimiliano (Max) Capocaccia of MC Architecture Studio. Renowned for being a great collaborator, Max is strongly influenced by European standards, processes and aesthetics. He takes his inspiration from sport and the natural environment – the ocean and the mountains in particular. Max settled on a design that aimed to fragment the building, creating terraced decks at each level, including a spa area on the top floor. Each storey of the home allows the homeowner to enjoy the views of the ocean and surrounding hills. “This was a challenging brief and a challenging design,” says Max, stating that the coastal conditions of the area (within the Council’s flood management area) and the limited range of technology available to use on a build of this size made for a need to think outside the ordinary. The need for two dwellings on one site and garage space for four cars also made it complex. For starters, the ground floor level of the home needed to be lifted several steps above the existing footpath level.
AN ARCHITECTURAL STATEMENT
