Queenstown’s rapidly growing population, along with its iconic, immovable landscapes, have caused the town to increasingly become a collection of subdivisions separated by mountains and waterways. Some, like Arthur’s Point, began to be developed over 20 years ago, while others, like Hanley’s Farm near the golf resort suburb of Jack’s Point, are fresh on the scene.

Arthur’s Point Steel House: Team Green Architects

Located in a recently developed section of Arthur’s Point, a hillside neighbourhood close to Coronet Peak and overlooking the Shotover River, Steel House was designed as a first home for a young family.

To meet the family’s requirements on a tight budget, the home has a simple floor plan encased in a rectangular, two-storey form. To provide some visual drama, this is broken up by external steel screens on the front façade, which have the added and important benefit of restricting excess solar gain.

“The way the façade wavers in and out with the perforated metal screens is both cosmetic and practical,” says Team Green architect Siân Taylor. “The angles are designed to allow the morning sun to enter the home and, along with the overhang from the mono-pitched roof, to stop it from overheating in the afternoon. Those screens are the most expensive single design item in the house but, without them, the house would have been too hot and far less interesting.”

Behind these screens and on lower areas of the façade, white fibre-cement panels shine through, an element that is matched with the garage door for a sense of cohesion between the two structures. Inside, the home is designed for peaceful cohabitation. Instead of opting for a completely open-plan living and kitchen space downstairs, the living room is divided off to allow the adults some space to congregate in the kitchen while children play or watch television in the living room. A kitchen window seat dubbed the ‘gin seat’ was especially designed to provide a spot for the homeowners’ friends to relax while they entertain. The kitchen itself is created simply but effectively from laminated ply and is a bright and cheerful multi-use space.

The staircase adds a sculptural backdrop to the dining area, with oak fins that reach to the ceiling. At the top of the stairs, where the bedrooms and bathrooms are located, a bridge extends from the rear of the house to the hill behind it, where the homeowners have set up a hot tub with a view.

While it may not feature in a catalogue of Queenstown’s homes of the rich and famous, this is simple and effective architecture. The home flows both inside and outside, and works wonderfully for its young family, keeping them cool in summer and warm in winter, while also being striking to look at.