Pakiri

A hilltop retreat north of Auckland formed as a series of connected gables 

AO Architecture designed Pakiri as a large coastal retreat on an exposed hilltop north of Auckland, overlooking the sea towards Little Barrier Island. The house is broken into a series of connected gabled forms, reducing the apparent scale of a substantial building while spreading rooms along the outlook. The arrangement also creates more sheltered outdoor areas within a site exposed to strong coastal winds.

Breaking down the scale

Lower gables extend across the hilltop with recessed links between them, while the taller central volume marks the main bedroom and living spaces.

Dividing the house this way reduces the sense of one long, monolithic building. The garage is treated as another separate form, rotated away from the main alignment so it does not simply add to the length of the house.

A shallow plan for a wide outlook

Much of the house is only one room deep, giving more rooms direct access to daylight and views across the surrounding landscape.

That decision comes with a trade-off. A shallow plan stretches the house further across the site and increases the distance between its ends, but it keeps more of the occupied rooms on the landscape edge instead of placing spaces behind one another.

From the dining table, wide sliding doors pull back to the lawn and the view continues across the hills towards the coast.

Shelter on an exposed hilltop

The fragmented arrangement also helps create pockets of protection around the outdoor living areas. On a windy coastal site, the house does not rely on one exposed terrace facing the view. The connected forms provide places to sit outside with the building itself offering shelter.

Taking the main bedroom into the roof

The main bedroom occupies the upper level of the tallest gable, above a ground-floor living space. Its ceiling follows the roof pitch, using the gable to create additional height within the room.

Full-height glazing continues into the triangular roof profile, opening the bedroom towards the surrounding hills and coast. Vertical timber screens extend across the glazed end of the main bedroom and bathroom, screening the more private spaces while adding depth to the façade.

From the lawn, that taller central volume becomes the point around which the smaller gables are arranged.

Exterior of the dark-clad Pakiri house at sunset, with a glazed gable facing the curved path and rocky landscape edge.
Pakiri sitting area opening to the lawn through large sliding doors, with glazed gable windows framing the coastal landscape.
Pakiri bathroom with a freestanding bath beside tall gable glazing screened by vertical fins and overlooking the landscape.
Pakiri bedroom with timber flooring and full-height gable glazing framing the lawn, hills and distant sea.
Small Pakiri study with a compact desk positioned beneath a square window framing the rolling green hills.
Pakiri house viewed across the lawn, with a series of dark gabled forms, central two-storey glazing and vertical screening.
Illuminated two-storey gable of the Pakiri house at dusk, with large glazing and vertical screens across part of the façade.
Sitting area at Pakiri framed by full-height gable glazing, with polished concrete flooring and views across the surrounding hills.
Pakiri living room with polished concrete floor, open timber staircase and broad glazing overlooking the lawn and sea.
Open timber staircase with dark steel stringers and glass balustrades beside the double-height glazed wall at Pakiri.
Pakiri house dining and kitchen area opening through large sliding doors to the lawn and distant coastal landscape.

Bryndwr I

Northbelt

Marine

Major Hornbrook