David and Wendy Hendl gave their old friend, architect Marshall Cook, free rein to come up with a design that suited their home’s vineyard location on the southern headland of Manukau Harbour. The resulting home was a finalist in HOME magazine’s Home of Year Awards in 2011.
At a glance
Where is it? Awhitu Vines vineyard at the southern headland of Manukau Harbour
Who are the homeowners? David and Wendy Hendl
Who is the architect? Marshall Cook of Auckland’s Cook, Sargisson & Pirie
The brief: Free rein to come with a design that suited their home’s vineyard location
Design notes
Terroir – the idea that a wine’s grapes reflect the land they were grown on – was the catalyst for Marshall Cook’s earthy design for a home that accommodates not just David and Wendy Hendl but their army of helpers during the autumn harvest. The house is split into two volumes, one public, one private, and is divided by a monumental limestone wall. The materials were sourced locally and the aim was to create an “unfinished” look. Modern touches add drama, like the perspex cupboard doors in the kitchen and bedroom and the translucent cladding in the stairwell.
About the architect
Marshall Cook’s own home, on a heritage site in the Auckland suburb of Freemans Bay, was a finalist in HOME New Zealand’s Home of the Year in 2008. Built in his trademark elegant yet easy-going style, the home joins two enclosures with a light pavilion and, like the Hendl’s house, features rich wooden detailing and innovative use of materials. Last year Marshall was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal for his outstanding contribution to architecture, including ski villages in the US, urban transit stations in Bangkok and some of the country’s most acclaimed homes. The son of a cartographer, Cook set up his own architecture practice in 1968 which is now Cook, Sargisson & Pirie. These days, he is particularly concerned with urban intensification and how to provide affordable housing in New Zealand.
Words by: Christine McBride. Photography by: Simon Devitt.
