The client brief asked for an escape from city life, the need for a home that allows family and friends to retreat to individual spaces as well as gather to celebrate the idea of the Kiwi Bach. Spread over three levels, the home is carefully scaled to feel relaxed and intimate. 

Guest bedrooms and a lounge occupy the ground level, sheltered behind the beachfront sand dune, while the master suite is elevated for privacy. The first floor serves as the heart of the home, offering uninterrupted coastal views and a central gathering space for family and friends. 

The design was derived from the natural characteristics of the surrounding topography along with the narrow nature of the beachfront property which formed an architectural typology of fragmented lines and asymmetric forms. Through this form, the design offers pockets of framed views to the coastline from multiple spaces whilst also allowing natural light to easily penetrate the buildings skin filling the interior spaces of the building. The design sought to blur the thresholds between indoor and outdoor spaces by bringing both the buildings angular geometry and cedar materiality through to the inside. 

At the center, the kitchen features an island that reflects the home’s angular form, positioned to take in sweeping ocean views toward Mt. Maunganui.