Modernist glass house for architect’s family still ultra cool nearly 20 years on

Retired Shanghai architects Xiao Yan Yang and Wen Ming Sun found their dream home in Remuera, Auckland 14 years ago.

It’s a stunning steel and glass house in Hapua St designed in 2007 by architect Richard George for his own family. The house has featured in several magazines, including, Architecture Now, which “revisited” the home in 2021.

The story said: “The glass house epitomises Modernism: Wide open, free and flexible, open to light and nature.” And it was those very qualities that attracted the new owners who were already familiar with celebrated glass houses overseas (such as Philip Johnson’s Glass House and Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe).

The couple also appreciated the way the house maximised the great north-facing view, which takes in the harbour, Parnell and Devonport. And they fell for the bush setting that provides privacy - the house sits on land subdivided by former neighbour Lillian Crystal, a renowned architect who died two years ago.

Other stand-out features of the 301m² house include the open, flowing main living room and the ultra-long stainless steel bench that seamlessly links the kitchen to the living space.

The couple have listed the property because they bought a heritage lifestyle property in Waipu five years ago and now find they are spending more time out of the city.

Jennifer Alexandre of Ray White Remuera, who is marketing the property with Harry Champtaloup, describes the glass house as a “very special architectural home”.

Their listing makes special mention of the sliding panels: “It’s a versatile approach to living influenced by Japanese architecture and rarely seen in contemporary housing.”

Over the years, Xiao Yan Yang and Wen Ming Sun have undertaken considerable upgrades, consulting with Richard George before carrying out the work.

These upgrades have included replacing all the glass with double glazing that also offers UV protection. And they have added six heat pumps, ensuring the house is comfortable through all seasons.

They spent around two years on a landscaping project. “We wanted to better connect the house with the immediate surroundings - while we had the ‘big’ view, we also wanted to create a peaceful internal garden view.”

The couple are well travelled and took inspiration from Japanese Zen gardens and Shanghai’s Suzhou River Park, creating a calm, peaceful garden that maximises the sun and bush setting.

And that strong visual connection with nature is one of the key things they say they will miss - along with the way the light changes throughout the day.

But the couple has plans to spend a lot more time at their Waipu property, which has a relocated church on site - it was converted to a residential home about 20 years ago.

“It’s a kauri building, so it’s totally different from this project and we will maintain its heritage character.”

The vendors are open to negotiation for their property, at 78 Hapua St, Remuera, Auckland. They say they hoping to find someone who will enjoy and appreciate the home as much as they have.

The RV for the property is $3.6m, and the Homes.co.nz median estimate is $4.28m. The house keeps good company. An older Modernist house by celebrated architect Ron Sang in the same street, which did not have the same upgrades, sold for $4m four years ago.

Property market update: Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson says the national median value in March of $802,599 was -1.3% lower than a year ago and still down by -17.1% from the peak in early 2022 – which was $968,333.

Wellington medians edged down by 0.1%. But Kāpiti Coast and Upper Hutt both rose by at least 0.7% over the month.

Davidson says the Iran conflict is “throwing an extra layer of uncertainty over everything”.

“In the property market, values were already still proving slow to respond to the falls in mortgage rates since mid-2024 and the nascent economic recovery.

“The missing piece has probably been a confidence factor, and now, in light of the latest conflict and sharply higher fuel prices, it’s difficult to see housing sentiment or property values lifting sharply in the near term.”

But he does note first-home buyers are capitalising on the current market, provided they feel secure about their jobs.