The owners' brief for this holiday home was simple; maximize the sun, the views and the outdoor living. They wanted large outdoor living areas to spend their time relaxing outside, not inside.
The house is a simple response to this brief; providing a delicate intervention into the landscape with a small footprint, to allow the owners to connect with the surrounding landscape without dominating it, whilst blurring the line between inside and outside.
The steep, elevated site provides sweeping views over Mawhitipana Bay below and is covered in mature protected Pōhutukawa trees which form a large dominant green canopy.
A long, timber deck, spanning the entire width of the narrow site, is delicately inserted between the Pōhutukawa trees to avoid their roots, while being cradled by their canopies. The deck is north-facing and takes advantage of the views and the sun, while providing large outdoor living areas. The timber box, for sleeping and bathing, is placed above the deck and the area below is enclosed with glass to create a semi-outdoor living space on the deck.
The result: a simple retreat comprising of a long deck for living, over which hovers a timber box for sleeping.
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