Completed 10 years ago, and designed by architect Rich Naish of RTA Studio for his family, this home has settled effortlessly into its busy suburban setting in central Auckland.
E-Type House was a creative endeavour that sought to deliver an enduring building; a place within which the family could grow and change, while the architecture remained static. It was a site many wouldn’t dare to tackle: narrow, sloping, and tightly bordered by neighbouring properties. For Rich, it presented an opportunity to explore what his own home might look like.
The design won numerous awards: it was named the 2015 Home of the Year, and went on to win an Auckland Architecture Award the following year. It was a finalist in the 2016 World Architecture Festival. In 2025, it was named New Zealand’s Home of the Decade.
The floor plan is the shape of a capital E, and gradually steps up the sloping site via a 35-metre spine in the form of a corridor/gallery space. This opens onto two garden rooms with adjoining courtyards, which both separate and connect the three distinct forms.
Materials were chosen for a variety of reasons, but the overarching aims were durability and sustainability. The house is wrapped entirely in vertical cedar, finished with Dryden WoodOil Clear, the intention being for the timber to silver off over time.
It has done just that, slowly and gracefully — the character of the timber improving as the years have passed.
Internally, spaces are defined by the simple concrete block spine wall and the same vertical cedar as the exterior. Here, the timber was also finished with Dryden WoodOil Clear, but it retains its depth of colour, marking what is now a solid departure between the beautifully weathered exterior and the richness of the interior.
Dryden WoodOil is made in New Zealand, and designed specifically for our conditions. Available in a range of colours, it helps to maintain and complement timber character without hiding the grain. If applied in Clear, as it has been in this home, it allows timbers to silver and weather naturally while maintaining water repellency and helping to extend the life of the timber.
Find out more or order samples at dryden.co.nz
