Opahi Bay has been the McGreal family holiday destination since the early 1950’s when Ray McGreal built the original fibrolite family bach and tennis court on the eastward sloping site towards the idyllic bay. Whare Koa, the new house of Ray’s youngest daughter and her family required a sensitive and thoughtful approach to a unique and special place, filled with memories and family history.
The home had to accommodate a very active and gregarious live-work lifestyle and see them in to retirement. Having been involved with the community for over fifty years, the brief for the family’s new house was beyond the normal requirements of a contemporary three-bedroom home. The family’s new house was to become part home, part workshop/studio and part community facility to accommodate weekly tennis games and community meetings etc.
The floor plan is “T” shaped, with the head anchored to the low part of the site, directly atop the footprint of the old bach, accommodating two east facing bedrooms and the art studio with the main living spaces and kitchen above - all oriented towards the view. An open atrium occupies the space between this living wing and the workshop with master suite above with views beyond via the glazed roof and clerestory.
The atrium is a multi functioning space from which the home is entered, its transparency breaks down the bulk & scale of the building. Floor levels respond to the sloping site and are linked with a connecting glazed stair gallery, reminiscent of the original path connecting the old bach to the shared tennis court along the north face of the building. The head of the stair opens to a pavilion-like room with a double height-pivoting door that opens to the west providing links with the community and extended family located next door.
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Strachan Group Architects is a multiple award-winning Auckland practice. Grounded in a specific and detailed first-hand knowledge of construction the team brings a highly developed sense of craft to the task of creating sustainable buildings with precision and elegance.
The keen sense of attention that the practice brings to the interpretation of a client’s brief is equalled by a rich and complex understanding of how to respond to the subtleties of site, the impacts of the natural environment, and the many contexts within which a building must operate. To these qualities SGA adds a precise understanding of the requirements of construction, with an advanced level of experience of prefabrication and the use of digitally controlled machinery in the fabrication of building elements under tightly controlled conditions.
SGA takes pride in it's ability to communicate ideas about building as they develop in conversation with clients, consultants and contractors. This skill has been honed in the extensive involvement the practice has had in education, where it has delivered a number of design/build projects with architecture students that have been recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Architects by a series of Awards.
Recognised by their peers as an innovative and exciting practice, SGA consists of a group of highly skilled people with a diverse range of complimentary skills. This flexible team is highly attuned to new developments in the building industry, appreciated by their many clients and capable of undertaking work at any scale.
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