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Project Details:

Location: Great Barrier Island, New Zealand

Architect: RTA Studio / @rtastudio

Footprint: 1,200 square feet

Builder: Great Barrier Building Company

Structural and Civil Engineer: HFC Group

Lighting Design: Halcyon

Photographer: Jackie Meiring / @jackiemeiring

From the Architect: “In the tradition of a Pacific fale (a thatched hut) or simple whare (a Māori house) this concept draws its form from a simple pitched roof sheltering an open living pavilion. However, from the water or the beach, its silhouette is evocative of a harbor marker, upright on the dune, guiding its seafaring clients home.

“Its owners asked for it to be a modestly-scaled holiday bach with three bedrooms and a social family gathering space. The waterfront site occupies the land by the side of the road where ocean views are obstructed by the foredune—a common constraint of Midland’s Beach.

“Our solution was to connect living spaces with the land and sleeping areas to the sky. Unlike a fale, we have placed bedrooms in the ‘attic,’ connecting each respective sleeping zone with either the ocean’s horizon or the bush. This released the entire ground floor for flexible, communal living. The descending topography of the site allowed for a boat to be tucked beneath the floorboards.

“The whare’s public and immediate location to the edge of the road dictated screens at both levels to moderate privacy and sun. Lower-level screens slide away while upper screens pivot forward like wings of a bird or kites in the sky.

“The primary consideration to sustainability resides in the small home’s footprint: 1,200 square feet. While the sandy substrate below the house dictated concrete foundations and some steel frame to resist our shaky isles, the balance of the house is timber driven to lower the embodied carbon as much as possible. The house is entirely off grid, with solar power, rainwater collection, on-site stormwater disposal, passive solar control, and naturally ventilation.”

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