Although its footprint is relatively small, this 185m2 holiday home with its mono-pitched roof feels expansive. By slightly elevating the house above the street, all the rooms, including the two main bedrooms, have direct views to the lake. Two cars can be parked under the house, end to end, in a sunken garage, partially embedded into the ground.
Because the entrance is elevated, the first level immediately cascades out to form the open kitchen, dining and living area. A sunken lounge creates a layered effect so anyone in the kitchen can look out over the lounge and still enjoy the view. The slopes and angles of the high timber ceilings reach heights of 4.8m in places, adding a touch of whimsy to the interior and guiding views to the epic landscape.
“It’s fun, quirky and voluminous inside,” explains architect Erin Taylor of Hyndman Taylor Architects. “All the ceiling folds are at different angles. An inverted fold in one of the bedrooms is emphasised by the negative grooves in the timber, which generates a dynamic feeling.”
The owners, two sisters, drove the unexpected design elements by asking for something interesting and dynamic, rather than a typical bach. Wānaka had long been a popular holiday destination for the sisters, one of whom lives in Hawke’s Bay; the other in Christchurch. Husband and wife architectural team James Hyndman and Erin Taylor worked closely with them and their extended families to achieve the finished result.
Taylor describes the design collaboration as a relay race, which began when the husband of one of the sisters came up with the initial big concepts. Next, one of the daughters, who is an interior architect, worked in the office alongside the architects and helped out with colours and the joinery. Finally, another daughter, who is a landscape architect, designed the landscaping.
The outcome is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which can comfortably sleep 13 when necessary. Day beds and deep window seats mean there is room for extras at any time.
Although the house is essentially on two levels, with the two main bedrooms on the top level, there is a third bedroom at the back of the garage area, and an adult bunk room between the levels. Often bedrooms miss out on a view because of topology, explains Taylor, but in this design, even the bunkroom has a peephole view to the lake.
“The bunk room is a great space,” says Taylor. “The volume makes it larger than life.”
Aesthetics and practicality helped determine the materials used inside and out. Corten sheet cladding for the impressive chimney and raised garden beds will develop a patina as it ages and rusts, which will complement the metal tray Flaxpod Colorsteel cladding. Cedar board and batten panelling softens the black exterior and will also change colour as it ages.
Inside, handmade terracotta tiles in the bathrooms add a rustic touch, while pops of colour to bedroom walls add to the informality. The families are keen skiers so a drying area has been incorporated into the laundry space downstairs and one of the daughters, who is a ski instructor, sourced old chairlift seats for the outdoor courtyard.
In the living area, floor-to-ceiling drapes create a sense of drama and re-emphasise the scale of the space, says Taylor.
“Even though it is voluminous,” says the architect, “it is not overly large and there are enough places for people to retreat to. It has a casualness that you want in a holiday home.”
An Atlantic stone bench dominates the kitchen, designed for communal cooking. Heated polished concrete floors and an open fire ensure the main living area is warm in winter. The west-facing windows are triple-glazed to keep the cold out in winter, and control the heat in summer.
Small reminders of the farm life back in Hawke’s Bay are incorporated into the design, from the front door handle fashioned from a piece of timber from the family’s sheep farm, to the laser-cut steel lining up the stairwell. It is a map of the creeks and streams on the farm.
The home won a Southern Architecture Award from Te Kahui Whāhanga last year, with the jury commending the clever floor plan and describing it as a “highly personal project”.
“The sunken garage was a key design move that reduces its dominance to the street,” said the jury. The considered landscaping builds on this and settles the home into the site.
“The landscaping meanders right up the front door, so the house appears to come out of the ground,” says Taylor.
2023 Southern Architecture Awards Winner
PROJECT TEAM
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