We’re big fans of architecture that dares to do things a little differently here at Coolector HQ and that’s certainly something that can be applied to Angle Grinder House from the architect, Mark Frazerhurst. Located in Auckland, New Zealand, this striking residential property has 185m² of living space and the one-bedroom house can be found, somewhat brilliantly, near the rim of a steeply sloping Auckland volcanic crater cone. The aesthetic of the design is highly unique and one of our favourite designs of 2023 so far.

Angle Grinder House by Mark Frazerhurst is actually built for his own parents and represented a unique opportunity to try out unusual and challenging architectural endeavours. Built upon a modest budget, each and every decision with regard to the various design details was scrutinised, costed, and re-evaluated, before being committed to. The position of the thoroughly modern property and the established surrounding planting does a great job of providing shelter from strong North-East and North-West onshore winds from the Hauraki Gulf.

Beautifully designed both inside and out, Angle Grinder House consists of a series of roof and wall planes that fold down the slope, linking each level. The inspiration for this design came from a sculpture that the architect saw a few years ago, which was a roll of corrugated iron twisting down a hillside. The ad-hoc form of the sculpture delivered really interesting spaces, and Frazerhurst wanted to capture that same sense of dynamism in the design of this home for his parentsd. The black folding form of Angle Grinder House contains and encloses spaces both internally and externally, creating a sense of privacy and shelter.

Timber-clad volumes anchor the folding form of Angle Grinder House, providing more intimate and inwardly focused spaces throughout. Frazerhurst set out to design, manage, and construct the home himself and from we can see, he’s done a magnificent job. Design and finish quality was of paramount importance and the construction budget was relatively immovable, so they compromised on the only aspect they could – time. The architect’s parents and family worked tirelessly on Fridays and weekends, calling on friends when suitable and engaging builders and subcontractors where work was outside of their abilities over a period of nine years. It was worth the wait.