Waikato River

Fairfield Bridge House

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• published: 16 Dec 2014
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The Fairfield Bridge house as featured on New Zealand national television programme The Art of the Architect (Grand Designs New Zealand). info@designenginearchitects.co.nz Robin & Colleen design and fabricate large scale truck trailers in Hamilton for New Zealand and Australia. The Design Concept for the House was inspired by the following 3 items: First, the Client’s design drawings for truck trailers – large scale steel structures. Second, the nearby Fairfield Bridge, a ferro-concrete structure built by the Waikato District Council in 1937 that is arched, lyrical, organic and evocative in form. Third, the Egyptian Processional Temples with their architectonics of Grand Ramps, Hypostyle Hall, Bud Columns and Sanctuary as well as the relationship and close proximity of the Nile River likened to the Waikato River. I referred to Sir Banister Fletcher’s – “A History of Architecture” Processional Temples of Egypt. The Stairs, Main Bedroom and Ensuite are set out according to the Fibonacci Spiral – Golden Section/Divine Proportion. The design celebrates “structural expressionism” through “Flying Magaftas” – curved, organic columns/beams on the outside and inside of the House. The House will have the first curved glass lift in residential construction in New Zealand, this is meant to be an abstracted Egyptian Bud Column in Glass, creating a beacon of light at night. Green Eco – Sustainable Design elements are an integral part of the design: there is a passive design triple volume Hypostyle Hall North facing, which acts like a Suntrap in Winter, warming the House, and cooling/air conditioning/natural ventilation in Summer through the Venturi Stack Effect created by louvres at the lower floor and upper floor roof creating a natural flue – drawing cool air over the swimming pool through evaporative cooling and upward to be exhausted at the roof louvres. Passive heating and cooling are controllable on each floor to the House by large opening sliding doors between Hypostyle Hall and House Floors. There is rainwater harvesting to a concealed underground 50,000 Litre rainwater storage tank. Local Waikato Hinuera Stone will be used for stairs, columns, floors, ramps and decks recalling Egyptian golden sand. There are also automated sun control louvers to the cantilevered eaves. This House promises to be an extraordinary project for New Zealand.