These five houses on Ridge View Crescent form an important part of the wider Anslemi Ridge development. They are the backdrop to the lake that is the community heart of the nieghbourhood, and are a successful edge to the open space and street that are on either side of the houses.
Anselmi ridge is a master planned community on the edge of Pukekohe developed by McConnell Properties. The wider project sits just beyond the fringe of the existing urban area, on what was previously farmland. The development provides a range of house types over rolling topography, with the lake and open space forming a central community feature.
The five houses on Ridge View Crescent have been designed as a group to address both the street on one side, and overlook and frame the park edge on the other.
The relationship to the open space and lake was a key driver for the design. The houses had to follow the Anselmi Design Guidelines which require that there is no solid fencing to open space, and that sightlines from the house to reserves are maintained. The development uses the level change to the park, plus a mix of landscaping, to provide privacy for the occupants while allowing the buildings to engage with the edge of the lake.
The buildings have been carefully sited so the form of the individual dwellings maximises sunlight admission into the private open spaces, while providing privacy between the individual dwellings.
The houses use repeated shapes and a similar palette of materials and colours so they are perceived as a group. Variation is provided by subtle changes in materials and the overall forms to give a sense of individuality to each building, while still allowing them to be read as a group.
Overall, the house designs successfully provide a sense of address and oversight over both the lake and the street, while providing very different conditions to both edges. They provide a sense of enclosure to the lake, and a backdrop to wider view from across the park.