Otira Close House — Arkhē Architecture

Otira Close House embraces the coastal context at The Beaches, along the dunes of Pāpāmoa Beach. Simple forms, board and batten and outdoor living invoke the spirit of the bach.

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. A question emerged — how to bring the best of the emblematic kiwi bach, arguably the ideal typology for the context, into a large two-storey home on a prominent site? The solution is a careful interplay between massing and materials: strategic recesses, clad in dark board and batten, work as subtractions from the main form, articulating the elevations and minimising the building’s perceived scale. The subtle mono-pitched roof and 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 — combines with dark accents to evoke the tones of the surrounding dunes.

The ground floor holds three bedrooms along the eastern portion of the site, with an outdoor patio and pool to the west. Upstairs, the main bedroom takes the southwest quadrant, and 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.

Simple passive principles ensure thermal comfort: bedrooms to the east benefit from morning sun, while minimal western apertures limit overheating without compromising cross-ventilation.