— NZIA New Zealand Award 2011 / New Zealand
— NZIA Award 2011 / Auckland Northland
Designed as a refuge from the busy city lives of the owners, this house provides relaxed holiday living on the Tutukaka coast.
The plan is organised around a central spine, with spaces oriented to specific views. The open-plan living area flows onto a generous northern deck open to the view, and also to an alternative sheltered space with barbecue and outdoor fireplace to the north-west. The bedrooms are more protected, with shutters that lift up to provide protection from summer sun, maintaining cooler temperatures.
Materials are almost exclusively timber: stained cedar shiplap cladding and hoop-pine plywood wall and ceiling linings. The exposed structure is saligna, and flooring is kwila. Translucent elements are used in parts of the roof and cladding, introducing a delicate light quality to the circulation space and outdoor fire area.
The house closes down with the use of sliding panels and hinged shutters, ensuring security when it is not in use.
Photography by Simon Devitt
