Sneak-peek from an ongoing concept, which received very positive feedback from the clients! Coastal, contemporary, minimalist - but not rigid - to name a few of concepts and ideas we derived from the clients brief, here expressed in the clean lines of the rectangular facade. A trapezoidal subtraction clad in timber draws users towards the front door whilst also balancing the rigidness of the white brick walls. The latter, the result of a privacy concern, will become a canvas for tropical landscaping. Recycled bricks to exterior paving areas add texture and playfulness to an otherwise neglected dimension of the building. More to come. Watch this space.
After many iterations, each with different degrees of success, we ultimately found the fittest solution on a change of typology.
The essence of the original concept remains: to express the emblematic mid-century modernist architecture - resonant to the clients who have spent many years overseas including California, where, arguably, the most iconic manifestations of that architectural style are found.
In this context, Palm Springs Boulevard, Papamoa - referencing the place where that architecture was most made manifest - the adoption of the mid-century style was, paradoxically, an act of dissent against the orthodoxy of the "fast architecture" - prevalent in the area.
Inspired by the iconic Doc huts, this building is defined by its pragmatic program: to provide essential shelter for a small family, with the main living area organised around the fireplace, bunk beds and a breezeway, which provides living potential with intermediate protection from the elements. Its colour references the many emblematic New Zealand mountain huts, facilitating its identification in the landscape and reinforcing the local vernacular.
