Roberts
Gray
     Architects
Roberts
Gray
     Architects

Muriwai Downs

Clubhouse

Invited Competition Entry, 2nd Place
Golf Clubhouse
Muriwai, Waimauku, Aotearoa  New Zealand

Aerial

The valleys, ravines and gullies that characterise Muriwai Downs prompted a design that reconceives the clubhouse as a bridge, one that employs a dome structure to span the wetland below.





A Course of Bridges Proposed Site Location Site Plan




This initial observation of key site characteristics led us to shift from the competition site to an adjacent wetland. For the site to be accessible at all, a series of bridges would need to be built and so the clubhouse could therefore be considered part of this wider network. In doing so, the project sought to blend the qualities of infrastructure, building and landscape.






The act of bridging allows the clubhouse to survey the landscape while being continuous with it - extending and encouraging the ecology of the wetland below.















Three CurvesThe building is organised around three simple curves that extend the lines of the topography. One to create a sense of arrival, another to embrace the view, and a third for back of house service functions. A DomeThe structure spanning the wetlands is a dome. When cut to the shape of the floor plan, this structural system with deep historical precedent takes on a contemporary appearance. 3. The BridgeThe dome structure supports a large flat floor plate. The result is a bridge that carefully crosses the wetland, comfortably clearing setback requirements of the delicate ecosystem below. 4. An OpeningAt the center of the floor plate is a large courtyard opening. All clubhouse functions are organised around this element which provides daylight, shelter from the wind and access to the roof terrace. 5. An Extension of the WetlandThe terrace is dramatically set within a wetland roofscape. The restorative attitude to landscape stands is contrast to the highly manicured approach of most golf course architecture.




Drawing from the legacy of programmed infrastructure projects, the clubhouse-as-bridge typology seeks to expand the repertoire of bridges as social, ecological, and contextual structures.



The sandstone cladding is quarried on site and treated in a variety of horizontally raked and smooth finishes to emphasize the curving and carved form. These large-scale gestures generate a building that has an undeniable presence in the landscape, while being deeply embedded within it.














  






Looking back from the 18th green