A majestic farmhouse-style building in rural New Zealand

This majestic ‘farmhouse’ designed by Andrew Patterson and his team on Annandale, a sheep and cattle station of approximately 4000 acres with more than 10 kilometres of coastline on the northern side of Banks Peninsula, will leave you breathless

Design notebook,  Q&A with architect Andrew Patterson

Andrew, how did this project come about?
Andrew Patterson Mark (the owner) rang out of the blue and said [the farm’s original] farmhouse needed altering. It was terribly dilapidated, but it had this beautiful garden. Once we had done that, he started to formulate what he wanted from the rest of the property, which included this new building. He had no specific architectural vision other than to create experiences that built on the experience of the farm.

How did you decide what was appropriate in this bay?
Andrew Patterson The bay was rural and peaceful and rugged. I laboured very hard about whether to do a completely abstracted form on that site and I didn’t want to do that because that bay is eternal, and one thing that you do know is it’s likely to be a farm for a long time. If you pick a contemporary form, you fight the timeless nature of the bay. But the building is reasonably abstracted in a material sense – everything about it is still very contemporary but unmistakably rural New Zealand. It’s not excessive in any way. It has classic proportions and natural forms. The drama of that house is its centredness in the amphitheatre of the bay.

Photography by: Simon Devitt.

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Homes

Pavilion in the clouds

Five simple elements and the well-placed delivery of a stunning view define this minimalist, Hawke’s Bay home by Dorrington Atcheson Architects.

Homes

Urban bach

When a client’s brief is to “come up with something you think looks good”, the parameters are so open and the trust so complete that

Homes

Corner villa

This clear insertion into the back of a century-old Wellington villa provides an extra 135 square metres and a myriad of spatial experiences for the

Design News

Heart of craft

Step into the Auckland headquarters of design and make studio, Fieldcraft, and you’re immediately immersed in a world of creativity that extends well beyond these