Our third project at Ruapehu Downs sits in a unique site in the subdivision. The approach is a journey of discovery, where its

features gradually reveal themselves: an extended driveway enclosed by Manuka trees create a sense of expectation, slowly revealing a clearing, culminating with framed views of Mount Ruapehu.

Attaining the brief required challenging the dictates of the market, marrying the otherwise conventional project brief with the pragmatic nature of the backcountry huts: compact bedrooms, rationalised circulation and hybrid spaces are a few of the strategies employed to reduce the building's footprint.

The form, much like our other projects in the subdivision, draws from the local vernacular: gable roofline addresses snow loads and minimises the building scale against the surrounding Manuka bush.

The materials also play a role in expressing that language whilst also addressing environmental factors: the colorsteel cladding merges with the dense Manuka trees in the background. The Abodo timber cladding brightens subtractions in the main form and establishes a connection with the golden grass in the foreground.

Strategic apertures engage with the surround: Large windows borrow abundant light and views of Mount Ruapehu in the lounge and master bedroom, whilst a small opening above the hallway filters the warm afternoon sun, dancing with the existing Totara tree.

Currently under construction.