Otira Close House, The Beaches subdivision. Rosenfeld KIdson larch cladding and board batten create a coastal palette.

Otira Close House

Completed in 2020
Build: Eireann Construction
Photography: Amanda Aitken

The design process identified the dichotomic nature of the site: on one side, the dunes and the beach; on the other, a busy road and a lively intersection. In this process, a question emerges: how to bring the best of the emblematic "kiwi bach" - arguably, the ideal typology for the context - into a large two-story home on a prominent site, responding to both context and client needs? The solution: a careful interplay between the building's massing and its materials. Strategic recesses, clad in dark board and batten, work effectively as "subtractions" from the main form, articulating the elevations and minimising the building's perceived scale. The subtle mono-pitched roof and the use of timber weatherboards ground the building in its context, nodding to the iconic baches that still populate sections of the coast. Siberian Larch - oiled to develop an even patina over time - combined with dark board and batten accents evoke the tones of the surrounding dunes.

The ground floor has three bedrooms along the eastern portion of the site and an outdoor patio and pool to the west. Upstairs, the main bedroom takes the southwest quadrant of the building. A generous open living space spans the entire front of the building, complemented by two decks: an open summer deck to the northeast and an enclosed winter deck to the southwest, greatly expanding the possibilities of occupying space.

The architecture employed simple passive design principles to ensure thermal comfort to the end users, positioning bedrooms to the east - benefiting from the morning sun - minimising apertures to the west and their intrinsic overheating potential, without compromising cross-ventilation.

Modern beach house with covered outdoor living space, ceiling heater and outdoor furniture . Features Rosenfeld Kidson larch cladding and board and batten.
Modern two-story beach house with monopitch roof, dark board and batten and Rosenfeld Kidson Larch claddings. Warm exterior accent lighting and coastal landscaping. Located at Papamoa Beach, Tauranga.

Otira Close house embraces the coastal context at the private subdivision "The Beaches", along the dunes of Papamoa Beach, in Tauranga. Simple forms, board and batten and outdoor living invokes the spirit of the bach.

Otira Close House, Papamoa Beach Road. Featuring Aluminium  shrouds in Flaxpod,  contrasting with Rosenfeld Kidson Larch cladding.
Arkhe Architecture Tauranga, New Zealand. Otira Close House with Rosenfeld Kidson european larch cladding and feature aluminium louvre in flaxpod.
Otira Close House, Papamoa Beach House. Modern two-story house with monopitch roof and timber cladding. Arkhe Architecture, Tauranga.
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