Description provided by designers.
Perched on the edge of a dramatic volcanic precipice, this Auckland villa extension by Pac Studio re-establishes a conversation between architecture and topography. The original home had been burdened by a failing 1980s addition – elevated four metres above the ground and largely disconnected from the surrounding landscape and mature tree canopy below.
The design response carefully re-engages the house with its site, stepping gradually down through three distinct levels that follow the contours of the land. The reconfigured kitchen becomes a central hinge between old and new, anchoring movement through the home. At the rear, living spaces open toward the garden, culminating in an elevated view of a lush, tree-lined chasm – an immersive green backdrop that functions as a fourth architectural element. A space affectionately dubbed the ‘DJ Booth’ by the owners acts as a bridge and informal gathering zone.
Above the living space, a pyramid-hipped roof and centred sculptural pyramidal skylight draw natural light deep into the interior, diffusing and softening it while creating a visual connection to the changing sky. The geometry amplifies verticality as the home descends, offering a rhythm of enclosure and openness.
The villa extension re-establishes a long-lost dialogue with Tāmaki Makaurau’s volcanic field – reconnecting home, land and light. Throughout, a volcanic-inspired material palette grounds the project in place – deep reds, bold patterns, and playful wallpaper echo the underlying geology while expressing the character of its owners. Meanwhile, the sculptural skylight and borrowed views across the tree canopy bring the outside in, allowing light and foliage to shape the mood of the space.
Related: At one with the eucalypts
Visually striking yet deeply embedded in context, this renovation is both sculptural and sensitive, a home that feels elevated yet anchored, contemporary yet rooted in the landscape’s ancient story.
