MACFIE ARCHITECTURE case study - Sir Ian Athfield Custance House

Sir Ian Athfield, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated architects and an icon and character, amongst those who knew him best. Revered amongst designers, his design aesthetic pushed the fore and bent the rules of traditional building styles across Aotearoa.

Macfie Architecture were guests of the residence, over a long weekend, and were able to experience first hand, what made Custance House NZIAA’s house of the year 1986.

Sitting as a stark monument to brutalism, Custance House stands four-floors up - two being central living areas, and the latter containing a studio and a top floor balcony.

The design, which would not be permissible to be built by current council approval processes, with its unique curves and statuesque frame remains a celebrated treasure - and something for lovers of the avant-garde to behold for generations.

Photography by Michael Schultz