Description:

Patuwai is a family home, a new response to an existing 50's bach which occupies the far corner of a seaside site. The new bach needed to provide comforts of home for its retired owners, but required a dialogue with its older self, in order to cater to the influx of family (and generations) over the summer months.

The idea was to respond to the existing bach on site, with something new. The reaction was to create a 'clustered' home, a series of small vaulted forms, stitched together by covered verandahs and boardwalk decks. These volumes respected the simplicity and scale of what has been here before in simplistic materials and appropriated sized form.

The idea is to enhance our ‘contextual awareness’ whereby the experience of living in this new home still promotes a connection with the landscape in which it sits. Something different to urban environments which can often be inward focussed and disparate. Circulation dips both between inside and out, beneath the protection of a covered verandah. High level windows are located out of reach from curtains or blinds, designed to throw light in morning and night, a chance to see the stars or wake up with the sun.