Nestled onto a South facing hill outside of Taupo and looking over the lake towards Tongariro National Park.
The challenge was to build a first home for a young couple with a fixed budget of $450,000. Add to that the extreme temperatures and winds in the area, our design responded to the land, finances and the requirment that it be a small house that can host a party. A bit of a contradiction but an interesting challenge for sure. Our approach was to lift the roof up to track the sun while sloping down to create focus and intimacy around the impressive views. We designed the house to be 2+ bedrooms meaning that there are 2 bedrooms with ample space for flexible sleeping: a reading nook that fits a queen mattress, tucked behind a curtain with its own view of the lake, window seats that convert into sleeping for 3 more people. The home opens out to terraced landscaping, perfect for barbequing on a hot day or for sitting inside and watching the weather go by. 120m2 is a small house but this house does not feel small, it feels spacious, inviting, welcoming and warm thanks to specific volumes, proportions and material choices. |
Process is important, where we came from and how we got where we are is just as critical as the finished image. The design for the house took many curves, looking at how we could achieve a good final result with all of the constraints of the project. It took us a while to land on the L shaped courtyard house which then went through several iterations to get to the final design. At one stage there was a loft for marae style sleeping but this was taken out as we realized we needed more volume in the main living space.
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