Stefanie J. Sebald

Hill House

This house was designed for the owners of a section in the Eastbourne hills, who wanted their house to support their love for the land, climate and relaxed lifestyle. Passionate in the area of climate science, it was appropriate that their house embody an appreciation for the local weather and site conditions and sustainable building principles from the micro to macro scale.

The project was initiated with a thorough analysis of the weather and sun patterns of the site. One aspect of this study was generating 3D animated sun study's at different times of the day and year. This would ensure that the spaces were positioned on the site to maximise sun where it was required. These studies and an appreciation for the spectacular views and wind direction informed the overall layout of the house. Together with the challenge of navigating a steep site that required the living level to be considerably higher than the level at the road.

The house is planned as two separate pavilions connected with a partially buried link. The roof forms provide the project with its dynamic identity and also function to achieve maximum solar gain through mounted solar roof panels. Collection of rain water, incorporation of landscaping and vegetable gardens as well as the deliberate preservation of native bush around the site are further methods used to create a sustainable project.

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Residential Project - Winning Competition Entry

These renders were produced as part of a winning competition entry for a residential project in the scenic Eastbourne area near Wellington, New Zealand.

The family of six had purchased a beach front site with impressive views of hills covered with luscious native bush and the Pacific.

Town planning rules and the compact size of the suburban section along with a demanding brief acknowledging the needs of all family members led to a design inspired by the contrasting views of bush and sea.

A formally structured entry area opens up through expansive glazing to the bush view along the Western boundary.

In the more private areas of the house the focus shifts to the unobstructed ocean views from kitchen, dining, breakfast and family room.

The upper floor is planned keeping in mind current and future requirements with the childrens' bedrooms being able to open up into larger shared rooms or smaller single rooms by means of large sliders.

The overall feel of the house is kept light and modern, grounded by a stone wall spine that acts as coherent element in all areas on both levels.

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Portfolio_Final Year: A Place To Stand

A year of research into the relationship of spatial memory (past) and physical space (present) formed the basis for the design project "A Place to Stand". Architecture as connecting element between past and present and its potential to create a sense of belonging through experience on a visceral level.

With the goal of research based design all investigations were conducted with physical space in mind; all relevant outcomes were tested in a series of large and small scale drawings and models.

The program combines an inter-cultural center with a space dedicated to New Zealand citizenship ceremonies.

A series of spaces experimenting with the various conclusions from research led to the final design of "A Place to Stand". The title is adopted from the well known Maori concept Turangawaewae (turanga = standing place, waewae = feet) that is often translated as a place to stand or described as our place in the world.

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Thesis: 'A Place to Stand'

The thesis accompanying the design project 'A Place to Stand'

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Stefanie_Sebald_Arch_482_Thesis.pdf (12.72 MB)

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Atmosphere and Attrition

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Stefanie_Sebald,_Project_3.pdf (3.25 MB)

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fourth year_Atmosphere And Attrition: Bathhouse For Seven Judges

The bath house had been focus of previous stages of this project. The process was initiated in the experimental phase of stage one. The exploration of the intangible force of wind on material object and its representation and interpretation in a variety of media. Careful attention was paid to the ways a particular medium, drawing and three-dimensional computer modeling, alters and contributes to the interpretation of the subject.

In further steps a the site of the new Supreme Court was chosen as location for a bath house that would further explore the immaterial qualities of the purely atmospheric force of wind. Instead of exact numbers and measurements informa- tion extracted directly from the site was used as a way of analyzing the location. This way of analysis was felt to be more appropriate due to the intangible nature of the project.