Built for 16 grandkids at Christmas; side-by-side Ian Athfield beach houses hit the market

Friday, 26 June 2026

A rare Takapuna beachfront compound designed by Sir Ian Athfield, Zac Athfield and Nick Strachan is for sale, featuring three self-contained homes spread across a double section running from William St to the dunes of Takapuna Beach.

Designed for a large extended family, the property combines shared gardens and gathering spaces with private retreats, allowing multiple generations to holiday together while maintaining their own space.

The unique property enjoys sweeping views across the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island and is for sale by negotiation, with Homes.co.nz estimating its value at between $10.6 million and $12 million.

Some homes have 'location, location, location', others have architectural significance, the property at 25-27 William St, in Takapuna, Auckland, has both - in abundance.

Spanning a rare double section that runs from William St to the dunes of Takapuna Beach, the property enjoys commanding views across the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island. It also includes not one, but three self-contained dwellings designed by the late, great Sir Ian Athfield.

'Ath' worked on the brief with his son Zac Athfield, and Nick Strachan of Athfield Architects in 2010, just five years before his death in 2015.

The property presented a few interesting challenges, not the least that it comprises two titles sitting catty-corner to one another, which meant building one large house in the middle of the property was not an option.

'[The owner] came to Ath with two connected sections and a very old original cottage on the beach,' says Zac. 'We started with an idea of keeping the generosity of that front lawn.'

The family's brief was 'pretty free'. The architects were constrained only by the district plan, 'because it's quite a staunch neighbourhood down there', and the family's desire for a sense of 'holiday mode' in each of the homes.

'There were enough sleeping-study-working options for quite a large extended family - a place where the family could get together in their own family units, but share the site. At one point, [the owners] had maybe 16 grandkids coming for Christmases.'

So, rather than squeezing one large home in at either end of the site, the architects spread three buildings across it, making the most of the garden spaces between them.

'[We had] the idea of a gatehouse, a functional midway house, and a grander beach house,' Zac explains.

The main house has four bedrooms, the middle house has three, and the gatehouse has one or two, depending on how you use the space.

Each self-contained dwelling has garden areas around it where guests or residents could come together, or enjoy their own slice of outdoor privacy.

With neighbours so close, and the public walking by both on the beach and on the road, and with the desired huge plate-glass windows bringing light and views in, privacy would be at a premium.

Early sketches show a 'filtered' chevron steel girder screen for the main house that echoes the pōhutukawa trees down by the dunes. From the beach, the girders draw the eye away from the interior of the home. Each of the dwellings also has slatted deck screens.

All the screens can be moved to shield private spaces, or open them up to the view. Closer to the road, the design has a harder edge, with steel cladding creating a bulwark against the public and road noise.

Despite all the industrial materials, the pavilion-like style of the homes gives them a weightless feel. Compared to its weightier, more traditionally styled neighbours, the main house seems lightly placed on the site.

'They've each got a strong base,' he says. 'Which is often one or two sides of ground floor, and then one opens out as much as it can to the landscape and to the beach beyond.'

Inside, there are more functional, industrial materials, but they are often softened by light and shadow pouring in from the massive windows.

In the main house, a central dining room that seats 12 is surrounded by polished concrete floors and steel walls, as well as an epic steel staircase. In less deft hands it could feel like a bunker, but here it feels playful and cosy.

'There's an artwork that runs across the floor there, which is by Catherine Griffiths,' says Zac. 'That was actually us having a bit of fun with a crack that occurred in the concrete, so there are letters inlaid in the ground.'

The room has a 'solid side and a glazed side', which again provides a 'level of layering between the public and private realm, so it's not all completely obvious to visitors who's inside and what they're up to'.

'Then when you go through that [front] door it reverses and you're using the landscape to provide the filtering looking back out towards the east and the islands and the Gulf.'

'One house wouldn't have done the job that these three together do,' he says.

'You can have a tenanted part if you want to, but the idea is that the houses and the landscape work together. The overall budget was probably what you'd expect to spend on a single residence.'

With a May 2024 CV of $11,750,000, the property is for sale by negotiation. Homes.co.nz estimates its value at between $10.6 million and $12 million, although comparable sales are hard to find. After all, there are few beachfront compounds in Auckland designed by Sir Ian Athfield, and only one that comes with three homes.

The listing is with Andrew Dorreen for Precision Real Estate.