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Simple, solid and stunning

Architect:                 Dravitzki Brown 

Builder:                    McKinney-Pool Construction

Location:                  Wakatipu Basin, Otago

Product:                   Firth Certified Concrete

Soroka House is set on a large rural section in the ‘golden triangle’ of the Wakatipu Basin.  This dramatic home melds with the surrounding landscape and features cedar, steel, glass and … plenty of concrete from Firth.

‘Materiality’ is a word Alister Brown, from Dravitzki Brown of Queenstown, uses a lot when talking about his designs … with concrete, one of his preferred finishes, being about as ‘material’ as it gets!

“The clients for Soroka House are friends of ours,” explains Alister. “Our initial discussions began with him thinking that he wanted a holiday home of around 150-180m2 on this expansive rural site. After getting down to what was really important for him and his family it turned out he needed two wings. One for him and his family and another for extended family and guests. And nothing that would be dwarfed by the surrounding big views and landscape. He’s also a big guy so standard anything wouldn’t work either.”

 

The result of the client and Dravitzki Brown collaboration … a large, beautiful, solid but simple home, symmetrical in appearance with the most dramatic of entrances, all in harmony with the views of Coronet Peak and the Remarkables that can be glimpsed through the entrance’s glass. 

“We wanted to have solid metre-wide walls in the entrances for dramatic effect and because they have chimneys on either side of them,” says Alister. “So it was about figuring out how to achieve that.”

“It looks like solid concrete, but it’s actually an insulated poly block base wall that then has a cast concrete skin over the top. The key was to get an insulated block in first, and then we cast in-situ concrete around it. With concrete’s characteristically low R value, this design actually also improves the whole home’s insulation.”

“The concrete did turn out to be a pretty major exercise, especially with the chimneys being so high and it all being poured in-situ. But I think it was worth the journey because the entrance is the anchor of the house.”

“Similar to the exterior, the interior materiality is pure and simple. Oak, concrete and steel, plus the cedar of course, which we’ve wrapped through the entry and the pivot doors. A very simple, clean material palette.”

To the right of the entrance sits the kitchen, dining, living and master bedroom. And then on the left is a sitting area and three other bedrooms. There are two master suites that extend on the far left and far right of the house in the two pavilions.

Alister says the large internal pivot doors also mean that the home can essentially be divided into two. “If you had a different family or friends down in the west pavilion, they can have their own bedrooms and living area with fire and TV so everyone can have a little bit of separation.”

“The polished concrete floors which run through a lot of the living spaces marry all of the materials together and provide a modern, industrial look.”

“In the 60s there was architectural movement called ‘Brutalism’ - a style with an emphasis on materials, textures and construction, producing highly expressive forms,” says Alister “The term originates from the use, by the pioneer modern architect and painter Le Corbusier, of 'beton brut' meaning raw concrete in French. Our use of concrete is not as dramatic but makes the home a strong, beautiful structure.”

Covering such a large footprint, the construction of this home wasn’t without its challenges – but determination, expert design and craftsmanship came together to create this stunning outcome.

“My favourite part of the project is definitely the entrance,” says Alister.