Clevedon Estate is a minimalist residence located in Auckland, New Zealand, designed by Herbst Architects. The filigree-timber-skin language so often deployed by this practice here sits in contrast to and in dynamic tension with the sturdy South-Australian-Outback language of the large house already on the site. Two pavilion-like buildings were commissioned by the client. The pool pavilion is a delight: built for sociability, its proportions are elegant, and despite its tough materials it feels supremely refined. The second pavilion, which serves as both garaging and as an office whose windows seem to launch the occupant out into the world, is brought alive by a central courtyard in which grows a solitary tree, reaching to the sky through a cut in the roof.

Photography by Lance Herbst.