By Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects Ltd
“A carefully judged amalgam of the New Zealand bach and the modern pavilion, this opens generously towards the water yet neither dominates nor claims the beach edge… Special and commonplace materials are successfully combined for a result that is both sophisticated and relaxed.” New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards Jury, 2008.
This small house on the beach at Raumati is a very simple form, discreetly folded between neighbours. It is deceptively simple, with rooms that are large but few, and open but with complete privacy. This house demonstrates that a home need not be huge to be made of luxuriously large spaces.
All the bach necessities are provided: open family room, outdoor shower, fireplace, and direct beach access. Yet careful and robust construction ensures that it is not just a summer-only house.
All year living is not only practical, but enticing - imagine winter weekends of watching a storm strike the windows while the open fire blazes.
Photography by Paul McCredie.
Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects is an NZIA award-winning practice with studios in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland and Tauranga. Established in 1997, our rich portfolio of commercial and residential work demonstrates a strong commitment to creating beautifully-crafted architecture that enhances the lives of those who experience our buildings – both inside and out.
We believe that enduring architecture is a delicate balance of factors – our clients’ needs and aspirations, our professional training and expertise, the history and nature of the site – but also intuition and commonsense. Every design decision, from materials to how the building complements the landscape, matters to us and adds to the experiential qualities of our projects.
Directors Max Herriot and John Melhuish in Wellington, Duval O'Neill in Christchurch and Matt Pearson in Auckland are committed to the best architectural design practices. HMOA Associate and registered architect Jenny Duck runs the Tauranga studio.
As well as new homes and house renovations, we have experience in the education, recreation, heritage, health and hospitality sectors, office interiors, multi-unit developments, civil projects and master-planning.