Simon Devitt is a photographer of architecture known for poetic imagery that reveals atmosphere, memory and meaning of the built environment. Collaborating internationally with leading architects, his work transcends documentation to become cultural storytelling. Based on Aotearoa/New Zealand, he works around the Pacific Rim – from Sydney to Los Angeles to Tokyo. As well as photography, he runs annual workshops around the globe and mentors emerging creatives.

The Project

Piha Bunker is a restrained coastal dwelling embedded within the black sand landscape of Piha, where architecture, terrain and atmosphere are inseparable. Set low against the dune, the house presents as a monolithic form shaped by exposure, weather, and the raw materiality of the west coast

This photographic series explores the tension between heaviness and openness. Charred timber, concrete and shadowed interiors establish a sense of protection and retreat, while carefully framed apertures reconnect the occupant to ocean, sky and shifting light. Rather than documenting the house as an object, the images seek to reveal how the architecture mediates between refuge and exposure, solidity and erosion.

The photography is intentionally quiet and observational. Emphasis is placed on sequence, threshold, and compression, allowing the experience of moving through the house to unfold gradually. Light is treated as a primary material, revealing texture, depth and the subtle dialogue between interior calm and the volatile coastal environment beyond.

Piha Bunker is not photographed as a singular moment but as a condition. A building shaped by place, time and restraint. The series aims to capture the enduring relationship between architecture and landscape, where the house appears less imposed and more excavated, emerging as an extension of the land itself.

Architect: Chris Tate Architecture