What was the brief?
Located in the grounds of a family home near the confluence of two rivers, the brief was to breathe life into the current home by bringing together new outdoor entertaining areas, spa, a swimming pool and pool house.
What were the key challenges?
The challenge was to create a series of ‘outdoor rooms’ that felt like a seamless extension of the existing home and the living spaces contained within. Given the flat site, Ben Hudson Architects sought to design a building form that would complement rather than compete with the existing home and gardens. Thus the pool house was conceived as a pared back garden pavilion, designed to sit below the silhouette of a surrounding grove of trees. Clean lines and refined detailing enable the design to be distinct from the main house, with consistent materials used to ensure it remains sympathetic to the existing architecture.
What materials did you choose and why?
The pool house is conceived as a cedar-wrapped, low slung rectilinear form. Harmonious positioning of architectural elements creates a dialogue between spaces and promotes a feeling of completeness and connection. The architecture is simple; singular in form and finish, yet applied with a rigorous attention to detail. The entrance is positioned within a recessed porch that spans the eastern elevation. Set ina band of dark aluminium that contrasts against the timber-clad envelope, glazed sliding doors allow the interior to spill outdoors. Carefully crafted to enhance a sense of openness, the modest yet multi-functional internal footprint expands seamlessly toward the pool and wider alpine context. The interior is filled with natural light, and enhanced with personal touches such as a generous window seat enjoying evening sun and views to the nearby mountains.
A stepped pathway connects to a new steel pergola that will, over time, provide leafy shade and dappled light for summer alfresco dining. Using local stone, concrete and black steel softened with accents of timber, an outdoor kitchen has been created for barbecues, and a place to gather around the open wood fire in cooler weather.
Holding the various elements together is the new swimming pool. The series of outdoor spaces feel spontaneous and relaxed. The architecture is deliberately unhurried, and has been designed as a collection of uncluttered forms in harmony with the existing house, the green lawns and hills beyond. Whether it’s a relaxing swim or family gathering around the pool, this new collection of spaces provides for a variety of ways to come together, and a feeling of being able to holiday in one’s own home.
Team:
Architect: Ben Hudson Architects
Photography: Simon Larkin
