Kawau Island House
By RB Studio
Sited on a natural plateau within a valley that focuses over a bay, this house is an asymmetric “C“ in plan. The house is set out around a central living pavilion pealing off to private bedrooms and opening toward an inner courtyard to provide shelter from wind and weather. There was a requirement by local council for a high level of camouflage within the landscape. To achieve this, deep eaves were integrated to create shadow over the glass, limiting reflections of the glazing as well as enabling the house to nestle into the landscape and enjoy the associated passive solar benefits.
The lounge pavilion provides a frame for which to view the water in the distance and enjoy the shade and breeze from natural ventilation to the courtyard. Economy was critically important when building on Kawau Island as materials had to be barged over, concrete in some instances had to be delivered by helicopter and the builders lived on site five days a week working from early to dusk. The roof profile is driven geometrically by an inverted truss roof, with flat ceiling areas occurring over the circulation and service zones, and the sloped ceilings opening to the exterior within living areas.
The roof pitch slopes inward to the courtyard to maximize sun and light. Bathrooms open directly on to Kanuka and Manuka forest. Materials and finishes were deliberately selected to invoke the clients vision of a rustic primitive hut. Roughed boards are used as the ceiling and skirting’s and trims are band sawn and rough. The Bach has a relaxed, easy atmosphere with a unique identity nestled into the surrounding environment.
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Kawau Island House
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RB Studio is a design-focused practice. Quality to us means a commitment to producing buildings that endure - physically, practically and aesthetically. After careful communication, we apply innovative thinking to create solutions that transcend the brief. The client-architect relationship is fundamental to this process.
Our work is characterised by clarity, tactile materiality and the dynamic interplay of volume, light and mass. These attributes are the building blocks of good design and are the real forces that shape good architecture. Through a process of continual critique and refinement, our aim is to develop individual design solutions that meet the needs of our clients. We maintain a specialist team that focuses on projects with a cultural and artistic dimension.
As a team we strive to remain flexible, allowing us to maintain a high level of quality and consistency over the design, documentation and delivery of all work we produce. Our team are committed and dedicated toward producing well thought out architectural solutions that are practical to build and functional to occupy.
We utilise technology which includes three-dimensional coordination, graphics, colour rendering and modelling. This technology enables precision and performance, while allowing the office to maintain strong and consistent design. We develop individual design solutions that respond and reflect the client's brief. These solutions are refined over the project development. The client relationship is strengthened by on going communication and dialogue throughout the project. Communication begins with establishing values and principles that aggregate into a concept-driven design approach and outcome. We work alongside a highly skilled team of consultants including Geotechnical and Structural Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Planners, Landscape designers and Project Manager. These consultants are engaged at critical stages in our projects to ensure performance to realistic budget and time expectations.
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