Tent House

Read the full Project of the Month article here. Located on the leeward slope of the sand-dunes bordering Ocean Beach reserve in Tairua, Tent house is set 100m back from the water’s edge with the brow of the dune just beyond the site’s sea-ward boundary. The design response anchors a tent-like form into the back slope of the sand dune. Available views to the East to Shoe Island, South-East to Paku Hill, Northeast along the coast and west to the coromandel ranges became key drivers for the planning arrangement. Guest and kids’ bedrooms on the ground floor are placed at edges with a central entry, kitchenette and rumpus room linking the western entrance to the rising dune to the east. Raised decks open to the landscape, with seat-height windows and door sills. Accessed via a nautically curved circulation, the main bedroom peels off to the right, while directly ahead another small level shift leads to the kitchen and dining areas where the breaking surf is experienced from this ‘indoor verandah’.