The planning was to accomodate guest families and be practical for their sporting activities and evocative in style of the bush location.
The site is on a flood plane immediately beside the river. We were constrained by a public sewer line running across the property that could not be built over. By elevating the scheme on raised concrete slabs linked by decking we satisfied flood and thermal considerations and lifted the roofs up into the trees. The central outdoor room provided the authorities with sufficient access if ever required.
This is the first of two projects in which I was interested to explore the nature of holiday houses as celebration of ‘the great outdoors’.This was developed as an aesthetic and experientially.
The concept is identical individual 6 metre square pavilions oriented linearly to the northern sun. A covered veranda provides access to the guest and bunk rooms.Separate structures make the stay here very quiet and peaceful.
The idea was to explore a New Zealand vernacular with the simple utility forms and make cues to forest/bush, river and stone with the materials.All the raking ceilings are lined with timber milled from the site.
Careful consideration has been given to the sequence of arrival back from the river, cleaning fish and dealing with wet clothing.
An outdoor room with its fire, cedar windbreaks and skylight is all about enhancing the experience of the outdoor adventure, providing wind and rain shelter for barbequing and sitting in the winter sun.
Awards 2003 NZIA Local Award for Architecture
