Project: Castle Rock Beach House
Architects: Herbst Architects
Location: Whangarei Heads, New Zealand
Photographs by: Patrick Reynolds
Castle Rock House by Herbst Architects
Located in New Zealand’s Whangarei Heads region, the Castle Rock House is a project by the Auckland-based practice Herbst Architects.
This home is a composition of fragmented, yet connected volumes that appear to tumble down the hillside, opening up stunning views of the ocean.
The primary living areas are located on the uppermost level where an open plan kitchen is connected to the secluded lounge area by a terrace. The bedrooms are just under the uppermost level where two large bedrooms are placed alongside a dormitory-style guest room.
From the architects: “A holiday house for primarily summer use with a boatshed /garage. The house will not be used as a permanent residence.
Concept: This building is a continuation of our exploration in a genre of building that is specifically design for occupation in the summer months. In the design process we attempt to challenge the boundaries between the built form and nature to heighten the experience of immersion in nature. We challenge also the accepted levels of comfort and utility for the same reason. We attempt also to reference the nostalgia surrounding the “Kiwi bach” by manipulating scale, form, relationships, materiality and limitation of amenity.
Response: This building is a continuation of our exploration in a genre of building that is specifically design for occupation in the summer months. In the design process we attempt to challenge the boundaries between the built form and nature to heighten the experience of immersion in nature. We challenge also the accepted levels of comfort and utility for the same reason. We attempt also to reference the nostalgia surrounding the “Kiwi bach” by manipulating scale, form, relationships, materiality and limitation of amenity.”
