Scrubby Bay House

This is a robust farmhouse set as the centrepiece of a remote, symmetrical and thundering surf beach. It is sited on one of New Zealand’s iconic coastal sheep and cattle stations as a base camp for farm experiences. It is accessed by helicopter from Christchurch Airport or by farm track. The house was commissioned by an expatriate New Zealand owner. A vernacular form belies its massive scale, the apex height is at 5.5 metres and its knee at 3.4 metres in a fully macrocarpa timber interior. Traditional detailing is juxtaposed against black steel fittings. At the centre of the house is a stone fireplace, constructed from rock quarried from the station. It incorporates many custom designed fittings, including door hardware, furniture and lighting, oak grills and handles. The building shuts down with storm shutters unoccupied and when opened, the design sets up both seaward and leeward exterior environments. The Scrubby Bay House is conceived of as a piece of slowly aging farm driftwood, around which stock can graze.