Lake House

Wānaka

Private Residence
Wānaka, Aotearoa New Zealand
Status ︎ Concept Design

Built from primarily prefabricated elements, this house advances the idea that efficient off-site construction methods can produce highly crafted and customised outcomes.

Two volumes are slipped past each other.

These volumes are rotated to fit the building platform. The resulting gap generates a central courtyard for relief from the wind, and the two volumes interlock to enclose this space.

The interlocking volumes create a loop of living and sleeping spaces that track the path of the sun throughout the day.

The requirement for a flat roof set out in the planning controls can create a monotonous internal experience that fails to fully celebrate the mountain setting.

To overcome this constraint and create an ever-changing internal environment, the ceiling is derived from a sphere. When cut to the shape of the building footprint the ceiling becomes a floating, dynamic presence that dramatically captures the surrounding light and landscape.

The solid, low-lying and recessive appearance that is dictated by planning controls is satisfied while generating an internal experience that feels both grounded and soaring.

The planning requirement for a flat roof created an opportunity for the ceiling to become the defining element engaging the mountain setting, producing an ever-changing internal environment.

The walls and roof are prefabricated as separate elements. The spherical roof geometry structure is made from identical elements, arranged to form waffle grid.

The spherical waffle grid is then cropped to the extents of the floor plan by perimeter beams.

The bedrooms are designed to feel both contained and expansive. This is achieved through the combination of a floating roof and framed view.

Cabinetry built into the perimeter walls of the house amplifies this feeling, creating deep reveals to exaggerate the window frame and protect the glazing from excessive solar heat gain.

As the house recedes into the landscape, its monolithic and carved form visually accords with the buildings of this region while being constructed in an entirely different, lightweight manner.