This new family home in Motuoapa, five minutes East of Turangi, is located overlooking the southern shores of Lake Taupo in New Zealand.
The home was designed around the concept of an enclosing courtyard entry orientated toward the views of the lake and approach to the house. The entry welcomes, draws in, and contains the occupants. The house turns its back to a certain degree on the rest of the subdivision with a strong eastern backbone, instead focussing the spaces towards the views of the lake and the west.
Overlapping planes of various tactile materials, slatted timber screens to filter sunlight, and a materials palette which will age naturally and weather gracefully all act to complement the natural environment and respond to the local context. Colours and textures have been carefully selected in response to the local natural environment, to stand proud but co-exist modestly and unobtrusively in the neighbourhood.
The house was constructed on a very modest budget, but prioritises certain areas and features to give the appearance of a home which appears and performs more than the sum of it’s parts.
The living areas and three bedrooms are contained on the upper floor, with connections to a large north-west facing private outdoor living deck. The garage, utility areas, a sauna & spa room, and a large multipurpose recreational space with connection to an outdoor living deck are located on the ground floor level.
Exterior materials are repeated internally in different ways, bringing the outdoors in, and large areas of glazing further reinforce specific connections to the site, and wider context.
