Strachen Group Architects (SGA)
Project Location:
Waiheke Island
Categories:
Residential Architectural Excellence, Cladding Building Envelope
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Interior Fit Out
Project Description:
The Owhanake Bay House was designed for a semi-retired couple, ease of movement and single level accessibility were requirements that set design challenges on a site with a significant natural slope.
The house explores the idea of “living on the veranda”, a play on the traditional NZ villa veranda; a place to pause, rest, think and to look-out from.
Durable natural materials have been carefully chosen to reflect the site context and to have longevity in the harsh seaside environment.
The house is framed with plantation-grown pine and laminated pine portals. The dark stained cedar weatherboards, from an FSC certified sustainably-managed source, reflect the colouring of the branches of regenerating manuka bush, blending with the landscape when viewed from the sea.
Timber finished interiors consist of meranti ply ceilings and hoop pine walls and cabinetry, adding contrast, warmth and character.
Copper-clad fins frame clear-glazed apertures, providing strong visual connections to the landscape beyond and taking advantage of the last of the winter setting sun that casts oblique light onto the textures of the interior walkways. Double-glazed copper-clad boxes to the north and south elevations frame “paintings” of the landscape.