Pōhutukawa House is a coastal retreat designed to blend seamlessly into its natural surroundings rather than dominate them. Located near Mangawhai, the site is defined by mature pōhutukawa trees and a strong sense of seclusion — despite its proximity to Auckland.
Built by Smith Construction in collaboration with NOTT Architects, the home reflects a responsive and deeply collaborative process. With limited on-site access for the architects, many design decisions were made during construction, resulting in a finely detailed and context-sensitive outcome.
Natural tones and textures echo the coastal setting, while locally sourced stone reinforces a sense of place. The design extends visually and physically between indoors and outdoors, creating a continuous connection with the landscape.
Sustainability was woven through both design and construction. Existing pōhutukawa trees were preserved, native planting expanded, and a comprehensive drainage system installed to manage challenging ground conditions. Durable, marine-grade materials ensure resilience in the harshest coastal weather. Waste reduction initiatives, undertaken with Sustainable Kaipara, included repurposing materials through Future Post.
Designed for practical, everyday use by an extended family, the home offers flexible living spaces that support both togetherness and privacy. Pōhutukawa House is a quiet demonstration of how architecture can belong to its environment — prioritising longevity, sustainability and a deep sense of place.
Project — Pōhutukawa House, Mangawhai, New Zealand Architecture — NOTT Architects Build — Smith Construction Production — The Local Production Photography — Biddi Rowley Videography — The Local Production & @groagency
This is one of Northland's great strips of coastline and there are multiple projects
that have been done up and down here where they are taking a lot of consideration into
the environment as well as the history dating back to 100 plus years and there's a lot of
respect for that as well. So we wanted to create a building that blends into that landscape or
enhances it. I am Nick, the Director of Smith Construction of Mangawhai and we're here at
Our first impression of this place was just the seclusion that it felt it had while still
being on a public beach and maintaining that privacy and discretion to be able to be seated
there and nobody really knows that you're there. The brief was to create a secluded
retreat for an extended family that love the outdoor space.
They love the ocean and they love the environment around here and that was ultimately they want a
home to live in. It's not just to be a piece of art that you can't touch. It needs to be
durable and it needs to be usable and it needs to flow between the spaces which I think this
place achieves very well. When you first walk into the front door in a beautiful finished
lobby which is understated elegance it opens you up into a big great space which we're sitting in
now which is the heart of the home. It feels expansive but it's only a short distance into
multiple different spaces where you can feel secluded and private. Just on the other side
of the kitchen here is the snug. Shut the door, light the fire, watch a movie, go out of there,
get across the hallway. You've got your own art studio. Sit there and paint away. You've got an
indoor outdoor garden right there so you still feel like you're outdoors in nature but you're inside in
a cozy little spot. When you head further down the hallway it's the private retreat of guest
accommodation and then right down to the end which is a closed off space which is the homeowner's
escape. That's the master suite that has both an indoor and an outdoor bathroom facility that is
completely locked off and private from the rest of the home. If you want to have fun you head back
and through the lobby over to the boat shed and go upstairs to the tiki bar. You've got a pool table
and a foosboard to play on which has an amazing view out to the coast. There's a lot of different
elements of materials going on in this house. A lot of them look very very simple at face value.
Anything that is minimal and simple in form has an intricacy of detailing them behind it all to
make that happen. We were drawn to the coloration of the Forte siltstone. The aged and rustic finish
is sympathetic to the coastal environment around here and it tied it in really nicely. The wide
boards were selected due to the expansive size of the space and it just tied everything in with
the indoor and the outdoor flow and it just created cohesion. The selection of a pre-finished board
creates a certainty for the designers knowing that the color that they want is going to be
consistent throughout the build. It also creates efficiencies for the builder on site because it
is a far faster process when finishing and installing it without the need to sand and
the potential damage with sand is running through the place.
Landscaping is one of the most integral parts of all homes because it needs that softness of the
landscaping and a big chunk of the landscaping was already done here. The owner had been working on
that for quite a few years before we arrived. There was a lot of protection we needed to do
to manage what was existing and then integrate the stuff we were finishing
and the use of natural rock and stone as a hard surface for connection to the soft surfaces and
with the multiple levels across this property. It softens it but it creates a sense of firmness and
right through to floating stone stairs, the rock work that surrounds the top edge of the swimming
pool. Definite sense of pride and achievement with homes like this. They're like our children
so you never really lose connection with them and getting the cohesiveness of connecting all
the different elements together takes a very skilled team of craftsmen and we are very fortunate
to have an amazing team under us that are very proud of what they do and very passionate.
We're one big cog and every person is as important as the other. You can see that in the finished
product here right through to simple timber ceilings that then connect into hidden air
air conditioning systems and hidden away blind systems and hidden doors, pocket doors, pivot doors.
Every single detail has been thoroughly thought of and has had the right people executing it.
