This simple family home naturally and effortlessly connects to the landscape, thanks to the sympathetic design consideration by Ben Hudson Architects.

WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Rowlands and Simon Larkin

“We purchased this site several years before we built.” Those are the words of architect Ben Hudson, who saw the benefit of time when deciding to buy the section where his home was to be built. “We wanted to build our family home, but we wanted to look at the site throughout the year first,” says Ben.

This luxury of patience allowed the family to see how the sun tracked across the section throughout the year and throughout each day. It was an intentional build that complimented the site and felt like it naturally belonged to the landscape.

Originally from the UK, Ben and his wife emigrated to New Zealand in 2004. Fast forward ten years, and they purchased the section in the Jack’s Point area of Queenstown. As an architect, Ben explains, it’s practically in the DNA to have the desire to build. “After my years of training, experience and creative flair, I was now designing a home for my family,” he says. “Just as I approach any other project, I wanted this home to be an expression of the family who lives in it.”

And the expression of this home is one to be comfortably and practically lived in. There’s space for muddy boots and a large kitchen bench for people to congregate around: cook, eat and entertain. “There’s nothing gimmicky about the space,” says Ben. “It’s a functional, thoughtful space.”

The design is fundamentally two distinct pavilions – one for bedrooms and one for living, each connected by a central entry set back from the main building. There’s a change in angle in the two sides in response to the irregular site boundary and to provide a sunny outdoor living area, sheltered from the prevailing southerlies. “The separate pavilions are positioned and shaped to embrace and frame the view of the Remarkables mountain range,” says Ben. “We used natural building materials and earthy, recessive colours to reinforce the connection to the environment.”

The Remarkables mountain range is very much front and centre of the home, with views from all the bedrooms and living spaces. The living wing holds the kitchen, dining, lounge, fireplace and study, with a mezzanine space above. This entresol has morphed in its usage over the last year or two, with children’s Lego creations being replaced with a studio space for Ben and his business partner to work in.

“The engineered oak timber floor gives it a warmth, and we like the Nordic maple-coloured appearance which was the aesthetic we were after,” says Ben. The fire area is also a favourite hang-out spot for all members of the family, with polished concrete surrounding the poured board-formed concrete walls (moulded by cedar planks). The dark-painted walls give the space that comfortable cabin feel. “There’s definitely a sense of living in an alpine landscape, yet the house provides a comfortable retreat to enjoy a glass of pinot.”

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The project went out for pricing and tendering and Summit Build was selected for the job. Wayne O'Donnell, owner of Summit Build was delighted to be accepted for the project.

“This was the first build our company completed for Ben Hudson Architects, and we’ve done multiple builds with them since then,” says Wayne. “It was a pleasure to work on this build, mainly because of the passion of the owners. We were delighted to make sure they got what they wanted.”

Wayne explains despite the interesting type of roof and the insulation being ahead of its time, there were no major challenges or hold-ups with this job.

WINDOWS WITH HEART Top quality, energy efficient ThermalHEART windows from Aitken Joinery create a view to the vista surrounding this home.

Ben deliberately chose materials like the concrete and engineered timber flooring to keep the home simple. The exterior cladding is a European product from Estonia. It’s a heat-treated pine, meaning it has excellent durability, as well as the grain lending itself to the alpine environment. “Temperatures can range from 30 degrees in the summer to minus six degrees in the winter,” says Ben. Thermally broken windows with argon and Low E coating, alongside the insulation well above Code requirements, mean this home is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Landscaping and extensive planting have also been used to bring the natural environment closer, which has attracted bellbirds and tuis as regular visitors. Ben says, “It’s as much about the experience of living here as the physical structure. Listening to the birds, seeing them close by, watching the changing light on the mountain range, is wonderful.”

WELL LIT All electrical work as well as the stunning lighting in this property was provided and installed by Campbell Electrical.

Simplicity is the key to this home’s success. It has an unobtrusive silhouette and sits very naturally within the context of the dramatic alpine landscape. One of Ben’s many architectural heroes is Todd Saunders. “Todd is a Canadian architect based in Norway. I like how his studio adopts a highly contextual approach to their buildings,” says Ben. “It’s often the landscape that’s the hero, not the house. We’re not trying to compete with the landscape.” This sentiment indeed resides here.