Description:

The lifeguard tower is a critical piece of beach infrastructure that enables observation, patrolling and protection at North Piha - one of New Zealand’s most beautiful, but dangerous, surf beaches. The facility is to serve the club and the community providing a functional and durable building to replace the existing, dated structure.

The brief was for a robust building that will withstand the severe North Piha coastal environment. It needed to provide accommodation for four lifeguards with excellent visibility along the beach. A building that was functional and responds to its context.

The new tower is a vital addition to the safety at North Piha. It delivers a facility that supports the extraordinary volunteers that run it and meets the needs of the community now and into the future.

Piha is a part of the rohe (territory) of Te Kawerau ā Maki (the indigenous Māori tribe) who gifted the name Te Pae, meaning ‘sentinel and guardian’. It was a privilege to be able to incorporate this narrative into the concept for the tower.

The site is remote, and factory-made prefabricated concrete sections were assembled on site. This minimised dune and planting disturbance on this fragile beach. North Piha is unusual in that the sand is black. The black oxide concrete references this - the curved form reflecting the undulating dunes that the building sits amongst.

The building is modest in scale and respects its setting, recessive against the beautiful and contrasting rugged backdrop however also a beacon allowing easy recognition. The form offers a softness and quiet presence in this highly exposed coastal location. This is a piece of coastal sculpture with a nod to old maritime observation structures around the New Zealand coast.

The tower is sustainable, utilising operable windows for ventilation, with high levels of insulation, thermal mass, and natural light, providing shelter and protection for the lifeguards. The placement of the windows was carefully determined with the club to provide optimum beach surveillance. The materials are low maintenance to withstand the extreme west coast environment.