Trafalgar
Square
House

Trafalgar Square House

Trafalgar
Square
House

Positioned on a prominent corner high on Nelson’s Church Hill, Trafalgar Square House borrows both shelter and outlook from its mature city fringe site beside historic Christ Church Cathedral.

Working collaboratively with the owner-builder, the 430m2 home has been carefully organised to meet evolving family needs; expansive open plan family living is complemented by a separate living area for older children to retreat to, while a self-contained apartment on the ground floor provides space for extended family to stay.

 

Organised over three floors on the steep site, the form of the house is layered to reduce its bulk.

Privacy is achieved through the arrangement of levels, placement of landscape walls, and vertical fins that regulate and frame views.

Trafalgar Square House by JTB Architects
Trafalgar Square House

Externally, a rich palette of materials contrasts with the surrounding greenery.

At the front of the home, vertical fins painted in liquid copper complement the warm tones of the cedar cladding.

Trafalgar Square House

Completed while the renovation of the Suter Art Gallery was taking place, the home shares a palette of materials with the gallery, which the builder also worked on.

Soft-grey aluminium cladding, plywood ceilings with a blond lacquer finish, and basalt flooring connect the home with the nearby landmark.

Trafalgar Square House
Trafalgar Square House

A covered outdoor entertaining area and flat lawn connect seamlessly to the living area, and then step down to the pool which floats above the street edge.

Both borrow shade from the mature trees of the neighbouring properties, creating a tranquil space to enjoy the Nelson sunshine.

Trafalgar Square House
Trafalgar Square House
Trafalgar Square House

Social, open plan living, kitchen and dining spaces on the first floor combine natural timber with dramatic monochromatic black and white surfaces.

 

Trafalgar Square House

The sculptural form of the central staircase in American White Oak links the three floors together and allows light and visual connection through the house.

A clerestory window brings extra light in a bathroom space, and highlights robust basalt flooring tiles.

Trafalgar Square House