A key feature of Te Mata House is its use of Trombe walls – a type of passive solar building design that captures and stores the sun’s heat. At Te Mata House, a Trombe wall is strategically placed behind large glass panels, facing north to capture maximum sunlight. The wall uses dark-coloured blocks to enhance heat absorption and is spaced from the glass to create a heat reservoir that distributes warmth throughout the house.

This system is designed to be self-regulating. During the winter, the wall absorbs heat during the day, releasing it into the interior at night. In the summer, shading devices and strategic ventilation prevent overheating, demonstrating the wall’s dual functionality in both heating and cooling the home. This practice creates homes that are very low energy use over the lifetime of the build.

The design of Te Mata House focuses on the interplay of light and space. The main living area features a 4.3-metre-high stud that enhances the sense of openness and connection to the outdoors. The ceiling’s window joinery is flush with the roof, allowing light to cascade in and creating an illusion of the outdoors extending into the indoor space.

The house’s layout encourages movement through a cloister-like gallery that links private and communal spaces, offering shifting perspectives of the landscape and varying degrees of openness and enclosure. This architectural journey through the house mimics the natural undulations of the surrounding landscape, offering a tactile and visual experience of the site’s unique topography.