By Moller Architects
The house is a holiday and weekend retreat situated on four hectares of land fronting onto the beach on the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington.
The metaphor for the House is a cluster of tents grouped around a common space or clearing. This space forms a courtyard, about which rooms are grouped on a longitudinal axis parallel to the beach, with adjacent connected decks and walkways.
The beach land is rugged and wild, the weather varies from idyllic clear days to onshore westerly gales. The house is designed to take advantage of the dramatic climate. When there is severe wind, decks to the courtyard hinge up to provide a safe haven, together with a series of sliding shutters, enabling sheltered areas to be achieved, even on the wildest days.
The forms of the house reflect the rolling dunes of the landscape. The construction is white washed concrete blockwork, concrete floors, macrocarpa roof framing and sarking with corrugated iron roofing. Windows are weathered cedar, and the courtyards are paved in hand made terracotta tiles.
The site has been landscaped using structural groups of planting consisting of New Zealand flax, taupata, toe-toe, pohutukawa and cabbage trees.
Drawing on over 50 years of experience and an unending passion for creating buildings that are at once bold and distinctive whilst sensitive to their surrounds and the people who inhabit them, Moller Architects is truly at the forefront of New Zealand architecture and design.
From beach houses that embrace the Kiwi vernacular to iconic landmarks such as Auckland’s Sky Tower – the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest tower, Moller Architects’ innovation and creativity result in buildings that truly make a lasting impression on the landscape and on people’s lives.
Winners of well over 70 architecture design awards, the team at Moller Architects continues to push expectations by working closely with their clients and the surrounding environments to create buildings and interiors that resonate with individuality.
Their elegant designs interweave a contemporary architectural language with the latest innovations and technology, whilst respecting the past and acknowledging the future. Be it the texture of natural wood or the distinctive application of glass or raw exposed steel, Moller Architects’ work expresses an ongoing awareness for creating spaces that provide a warmth and easy-flowing functionality.
With their multi-skilled capabilities and truly unique vision, the architectural and design team’s breadth of work speaks for itself, making Moller Architects a much-respected and sought after company both on a local and international level