About the project
Type of Build: High-End Architectural
Architect/Designer: Goodson Architects
Complexity Level: High Level
Nestled in the tranquility and privacy of the Brooklyn Hills in Wellingtons South-Western Suburbs, this High-End Architectural Build is a labour of love for its passionate design & lifestyle-orientated owners.
Location: Brooklyn Hills
Year: 2019
Washington Ave Project
A Labour of Love
Project Overview
Coupling bespoke design aesthetic, architectural brilliance, and technical creativity, this Brooklyn New Build was designed as a forever home that bridges the gap between entertainment functionality and lifestyle comfort.
With walls and features built to create a “floating” concept, this home is unique in every way imaginable. Split across two magnificent levels, it is complete with technical design aspects that allow for a seamless presentation where each space is able to flow into the next without detracting the eye. No architraves are present throughout, with flush doorways that add to the elegance of how immaculate the home appears to every visitor that walks through the door.
An ornate and highly intricate skylight provides additional all-day light throughout the upper and lower levels, cascading over the top of a floating wooden staircase that connects the two luxurious levels with a floating glass balustrade that opens up the space seamlessly.
Built as a New Build replacement for an existing dwelling, Black Sheep Construction took on the challenge of turning plans into reality, meeting and exceeding the expectations of the clients' vision, providing solutions for every minute detail that was needed to create a home that only dreams are usually made of.
It's massive. That was one of the big things that we wanted. Light. Because this (property) is all North facing, we get all day sun streaming through, which was really important to us. The house that was here before this was built, was a little bit of an art deco bungalow which had those low-down more common windows you see in a lot of houses in wellington - that wouldn’t provide enough light and warmth from the sun to heat the home during the day, with little input from other things like heat-pumps or other heating sources.
Home Owners
Washington Ave
With the build already breaking ground with a previous builder, Black Sheep took on the challenge of pursuing an already commenced build, mid-project - complete with adjusting plans and construction elements to fit the clients' adjustments and changes to get past challenges that were faced by building a property of its size and complexity.
With Framing & partial cladding already completed, the pre-started build was scaffolded and wrapped to provide Black Sheeps team the ability to combat the severe Brooklyn Hills winds, and to allow their team to continue working on the project in any weather condition.
"We came to the party late in the piece, so there were already contracts in place and we tried to utilize as many of the subbies that were already engaged, because they already had familiarity with the project. That was important - to put a team together, that could work well with our guys, who we already knew were good at what they were doing, had knowledge of what we all needed to accomplish for the client, and could provide an outstanding finish for them in the time we needed to get the project finished."
Fiona - Black Sheep Construction
With a lot of aspects of the house being bespoke elements, most components of the build are colossal compared to what you would expect to see in a more standardised residential home including the large window fixtures, designed to capture the all-day sun, which are the largest available in that range within the Australiasian window and extrusion market. The property's exterior auto-rotational louvre systems are also some of the largest in their respective range, designed to help the technically specified house to allow itself to self-heat or cool as required throughout the summer and winter months.
The exterior cladding system is rarer than your standard dwelling cladding, designed to withstand the severe fluctuations in temperature and weather that Wellington endures all year round. This same cladding system was carried through to the interior of the kitchen, creating a symbiotic relationship between the exterior design features, and the internal look and feel of the home.
Recessing features like hidden automatic blind systems, interior network cabling, flush ventilation systems, recessed-flush lighting, and hidden door systems that create multi-functional living spaces, all add to the overall cleanliness and simplicity of the interior design of the house - providing clean precise lines in every room.
While complex in design, dreams and wishes were never far from reality with this build - turning what was a mammoth construction marvel, into a home-owners reality. Providing the owners with a home that they can cherish for years to come, that encapsulates every element of their “dream house” combined with their dream lifestyle environment, Washington Ave is a residential marvel that adds to Brooklyn Hills every growing tranquility and charm.
