"Nestled amongst sand dunes, this large, low-lying house at Te Arai aims to mirror a generous, fun-loving client who had requested a house feeling like “a giant hug”! Correspondingly, a playful scattered series of pavilions are anchored by a principal volume housing the main living and entertaining uses. Despite the scale of the latter, a cleverly articulated breakdown is achieved via partitions, sunken seating and furniture groupings to produce an improbable amalgamation of grandeur and intimacy. Comfortable for a single resident and a crowd, the house impresses with its astute handling of out-scale forms and a micro-scaled choreography of detailed life. Here an architectural hug shows up as the apt ability to richly synthesis many scales and social occasions."

NZIA Citation. Auckland Branch Award - Housing

“

It is my heart, my hug, my home. John understood my vision and created a masterpiece that is a perfect reflection of me.

Sandi Young