The Wild and Wonderful Wanaka Wedge House

The Wanaka Wedge House

Wanaka Wedge House is a modern and striking home of corrugated steel is located on an isolated ridge facing the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s South Island. Shaped like a giant wedge, the three bedroom house is a prototype that was an initial design collaboration by the then firm of Min | Day (now Jeffrey L. Day of Nebraska’s Actual Architecture Co. and E.B Min, founder and principal of Min Design Co).

Wanaka Wedge House

Wanaka Wedge House

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Wanaka Wedge House bedroom corner window IIHIH

The home is now inhabited by Musicians Justine Cormack and Marc Taddei.

The following text is courtesy of the architect:
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The 3-bedroom Wanaka Wedge House complements the dramatic Central Otago landscape. The geometric-primitive exterior form belies a complex and playful interior. Asymmetric window placement contrasts the simple shape of the house to respond to views and specific proportions of the interior spaces.

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The exterior of the main house ‘wedge’ is clad in dark gray, corrugated metal panels echoing the contemporary New Zealand vernacular.

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wedge house

wanaka wedge house exterior

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modern architecture in new zealand

modern steel home

The contrasting cube of the garage and wine cellar is clad in light gray metal with a matching roof membrane. Both colors had to pass strict planning and design guidelines specifying limits on albedo and hue.

wanaka wedge house exterior 13 IIHIH

On the interior, a surface of custom-milled, locally-farmed Eucalyptus wraps certain floors, walls, and ceilings to thematically separate public and private spaces and lend warmth and dimension to the interior.

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eucalyptus wood interior detail

kitchen in wedge house

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kitchen and dining

Wanaka Wedge House dining table IIHIH

Sliding panels, blind doors and concealed hardware afford unexpected interior connections.

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White walls highlight a contemporary art collection and materials meet with simple reveals.

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Wanaka Wedge House Bath IIHIH

Some people in New Zealand may recognize the home from its prominent appearance on the fifth season of the weekly home design show , Grand Designs New Zealand in August 2019. The show can be viewed here on Youtube

Materials and systems were selected to meet sustainability targets and to satisfy design goals highlighting local finishes and craftspeople. The architects replaced the SIP walls of the prototype with a super-insulated wood-frame structure of LVL lumber to avoid the energy intensive importation of materials. The polished concrete thermal-mass ground floor (featuring local river-stone aggregate) is heated in the winter with an efficient hydronic radiant system. The wood-framed upper floor also includes radiant heat between joists. Windows on opposite sides of the narrow house afford natural ventilation during most days while a whole-house fan at the very top of the “wedge” can evacuate heat and pull cool air from the shaded bottom courtyard. Thermal performance exceeds New Zealand standards for a single-family house.

Type: Residential
Location: Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand
Area: 2575 s.f.
Status: Built
Date: 2019

Architects: The Wedge House is a prototype that was originally designed by Min/Day (Jeff L. Day and E.B. Min of Min Design Co.) to be adjusted for different sites, originating with a site on the coast of Maine. Plans for the Wedge House may be purchased from Actual Architecture Co.

Collaborators
Construction Documents: Ian Perry, Architectural Designer, I Design, Oamaru, NZ
Building Engineer: Richards Consulting Engineers, Christchurch, NZ
General Contractor: Matthew Colebrook, Colebrook & Co. Ltd., Wanaka, NZ
Wood supplier: John Fairweather Specialty Timber Solutions, Sefton, NZ

Beautiful Photos courtesy of Dennis Radermacher for Lightforge

Information courtesy of Actual Architecture Company

You can find a 360 degree virtual tour of the home here