Concept imageTower, Hawser Quay, In progress (Sample)
Evenfall
A 38-floor tower on the old harbor, drawn as 112 houses stacked. In progress for Orrin Vale.
House, Windlass Head, Built 2023 (Sample)
Headland House
A long glass house on the west cliff of Windlass Head, sheltered by one stone wall.
Concept imageThe brief
The clients came to us with a shelf of land on the west cliff of Windlass Head. It is long and narrow, with the road on one side and the sea on the other. The wind there can blow for days.
They asked for one large room where they could cook, eat and sit, and still watch the weather come in. Bedrooms could be apart. They wanted to be hidden from the road, but open to the water.
- Site
- 2.1 acres on the west cliff of Windlass Head
- Size
- 5,600 square feet, with four bedrooms
- Finished
- 2023
- Main room
- A glass pavilion close to 100 feet long
- Stone wall
- Two feet thick and 10 feet high
- Pool
- 65-foot lap pool on the sea terrace
- Sold
- By Holt & Shore, in May 2026
Site plan
Site plan
The house sits on a level shelf at the top of the cliff. The road and the entry court are to the east.
The idea
We answered with one wall and one roof. The wall is stone, two feet thick, and it runs along the road side. It stops the wind, hides the house and holds the fireplace.
The roof is thin and flat. It floats above the wall on a band of glass, so the stone never seems to carry it. Under it, on the sea side, is the room the clients asked for.
Then we cut the model open. The cut told us how low the roof could go. In summer it shades the glass until mid-afternoon. After that the low sun slides in under it and lights the stone wall.
Plan
Floor plan
One room for living, cooking and eating. The stone wall is drawn in red.
Section
Section through the main room
The cut runs from the road to the sea. It shows the stone wall, the floating roof and the terrace.
Sun study
Follow the sun
Drag the sun to see how far the light reaches under the roof.
5:00 pm on June 21. The sun is 25 degrees up, in the west.
What was built
The house was finished in 2023. The main room is close to 100 feet long, and its glass panels slide away. On a calm day the room, the terrace and the lap pool become one space.
A separate wing behind the wall holds four bedrooms. The roof is lined with timber, and the terrace is paved in pale stone. Nothing on the sea side stands taller than the roof.
The first owners lived here for three years. In May 2026 the house was sold through Holt & Shore, and the new owners have kept it as drawn.
Concept imageFrom outside: The arrival court 
Concept imageInside: The main room 
Concept imageOutdoor space: The pool terrace
Elevation
West elevation
The sea side is one line of roof above a wall of glass.
Model view
Model from the south-west
The ink-line model shows the main room, the bedroom wing and the pool on its terrace.
Detail
Roof edge
The roof is one flat slab with a square edge. A band of glass lifts it clear of the stone wall.
Credits
- Sold by: Holt & Shore (Sample). Headland House was sold by Holt & Shore in 2026.
From the journal
September 22, 2026
Why we cut the model openA plan tells you where the walls go. A cut tells you what it is like to stand between them. By Imre Castellan (Sample)
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A boathouse for the sailing club on the north basin, with a roof that lifts toward the water.
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A one-level house in Marram Flats, turned inward around a court to get out of the wind.