The Dacha banner

'A home away from home'

A steep and challenging site overlooking the pristine shores of Lake Wanaka.  The brief for design and layout evolved from a repeated phrase from the client...."don't let the house get in the way of the view, it's all about the view."   

A long wall of stacked stone, inside and outside, is the spine of the house that divides the service and entry side of the house that faces the street, from the private and glassy side of the house that faces the lake.  The goal was to get as many rooms as possible to have a lake view, not only straight on views but views through corners too.  Some rooms look through each other to capture more panorama.

Construction Completed 2017
House 623 Sqm
The Banya 52 Sqm
Pool / Patios / Retreat areas 420 Sqm

Main Contractor: Plimmer Building Contractors Ltd, Wanaka
Structural Engineers: Batchelar McDougall Consulting, Wanaka

Eliška Lewis Architects
Otago
The Dacha by Eliška Lewis Architects

About the
Professional

Eliška Lewis Architects is an award winning architectural practice based in Wanaka. As a boutique business, we pride ourselves in creating personal focus and value for our clients. We can offer solutions to demanding sites and client briefs and consider ourselves experienced with complex Resource Consent applications in the sensitive landscape in Central Otago areas.

We promote design decisions by encouraging honest and open communication between ourselves our clients and the building contractor. Attention to detail is a high priority for the practice.

“Our design philosophy is to develop projects that are innovative, well crafted, with an emphasis on sustainability.”