5.3.2020
Avalanche House
Located on an exposed site in an Alpine Region, Central Otago New Zealand, this home required meticulous consideration to the planning and spacial arrangement. The outlook and mountain views are captivating & the building is sited in such a way to embrace the environment.
The plan is divided by a low entry that separates the living areas from bedrooms. The living area has consciously been oriented north south to protect outdoor areas from prevailing winds, whilst offering an expansive connection across the entire site from the kitchen and dining area. The living area is set down to offer a more intimate feeling within an open plan living arrangement.
The brief required the layout to be adaptable & have flexibility to lease one or two of the bedrooms without impacting the daily operation of the main home. Yet when the entire house is being used a feeling of compartmentalization or separation needed to be avoid and this is achieved by placement of full height sliding doors and consideration of external access.
The building form takes obvious cues from Central Otago vernacular and does not conceal this unnecessarily, contributing to a home that feels honest and harmoniously humble.
Timber is the predominant external building material and internal finishes are textured, robust & durable consisting of predominantly of plywood, concrete & timber. The owners original vision was for this to be a holiday home & wanted to capture an element of simplicity that genuine cribs scattered around the Wanaka township offer.