Matagouri sits between the foot of the Remarkables mountain range and the edge of Lake Wakatipu in the South Island of New Zealand. The client's brief was to create a ‘Crofters cottage with a sense of ruin’. The homesite area for the property spans two natural mounds, from north to south, in the midst of a gently sloping landscape amongst the surrounding tussock. Two solid elements anchor the house in these mounds with connecting spaces and courtyard organised under a gently shaped landscaped roof.
The gentle and varying slopes of the landscaped roof create a natural transition from landscaped hillside to roof form. Large overhanging eves create deep shadows, minimising glare and reflection while maximising views towards Lake Wakatipu to the west and the Remarkables to the east. Consideration of sustainable materials and construction systems were considered right the way through the design process. Early concepts involved designing a building that reduced the requirement for structural steel.
The roof structure is entirety designed as a shaped timber waffle using locally sourced engineered-timber. Atop this, the landscaped roof moderates temperature and provides a sustainable and integrated outlook on the project. Shaping of the roof reflects the low hillocks in the surroundings landscape and transpose that variation and volume into the living spaces below. The roof plays an important part as a net spread out with curvature and soft edges, bringing together the two differing axis of the more enclosed sleeping spaces either side.
The interiors were designed to protect its occupant from the elements. They are crafted and layered with a relaxed sense of occupation. Photography by Simon Wilson Interiors in collaboration with Dawdy Brown