hawkes bay house

At our first briefing the clients presented us a scrapbook with photographs they had taken of farm buildings, wool sheds etc. They wished for their new house to exhibit an association with and understanding of these truly NZ buildings not only in its aesthetic but also in its economy. They saw their new house being one for the life of the family so it needed to be able to evolve to suit the natural changes within a family and for the house to be at ease in its site and capture sun and views for easy and comfortable living.

Close Window

At the same time we were working on a prototype rural building in the Wairarapa. It utilised a timber portal frame kit set building system designed primarily for farm buildings. Architecturally unsophisticated but with some modifications this portal frame system was found to be a very economic way to capture large volumes of uninterrupted space complete with vaulted ceilings and maximum openings in exterior walls.

Two wings were conceived, one for living and one for sleeping, separated by a flat roofed area containing entry, laundry and bathrooms.

Extensive 3D computer modelling was employed to thoroughly explore the design and show the clients how their house would work. Sun shading videos were generated to ensure the control of summer sum and availability of winter sun.

he choice of materials for the exterior, corrugated steel and gapped macrocarpa boarding, reinforce the building’s rural heritage and cloak the structure with a richness of texture.

Close Window

projects

hawkes bay house