Otaki House

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Morning sunlight enters the double height hall through a tall slot marking time as it moves across the wall.

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Year:
2023
Location:
Otaki, New Zealand
Client:
Steve & Athena Micallef
Program:
house, tennis court, pool & club house

The brief called for a timeless design using durable materials and good craftsmanship to create an atmosphere conducive to relaxed entertaining in beautifully landscaped grounds centred around a full size tennis court, lap pool and club house.

LAND SEA & LIGHT: The Kapiti Coast with its dramatic contrasts of big skies, sharp light and open sea on one side and the rugged Tararua Mountains on the other are the primal elements of this magificant landscape. Wind blown sand on these beaches has shaped ancient ventifact rocks across thousands of years.

WOVEN LANDSCAPE: The defining characteristic of the landscape is its linear geometry, orientated almost north-south
including coastline, dune-scape and dominant mountain ranges. This geometry informed the design, a spatial carpet of north-south linear warps (parallel with the coast) crossed with short east-west wefts that shape light and view to sea and mountains beyond.

FIELD OF COURTS BETWEEN PAVILIONS: Rather than a central large building, the house is a field of spaces between buildings and buildings between spaces. The same number of ingredients are unpacked and moved carefully around the site to create a network of courtyards and pavilions shaping a variety of atmospheres, each with its own character. From active club house, pool and tennis court to quiet contemplative spaces, orangery or garden courts.

LIGHT AND TIME: A design language of elemental forms using robust durable materials is shaped to protect and shelter occupants from intense light and strong winds. Morning sunlight enters the double height hall through a tall slot marking time as it moves across the wall. Below a series of alcoves with window seats are set deep into the wall like a medieval castle. The perfect sheltered location to watch tennis.