The owners of this Orokonui house feel like they are living within a forest canopy. Kim Dungey has the details.
Some people looking at this house have seen a sail or a tent. One even thought it looked like a spaceship.
But for most, the sculptural roof echoes a canopy of trees, which is what the architect intended.
The design was inspired by nature and, in particular, the home’s location. Sited below the Orokonui ecosanctuary, it’s surrounded by regenerating native forest.
Owners Richard Butler and Fi McMillan previously lived near the Dunedin Town Belt and were keen to replicate the feeling of ‘‘living in the trees’’, surrounded by birdlife.
After telling architect Gary Todd they wanted something that was one of a kind, with seamless indoor-outdoor spaces and access to natural light from every room, he took a piece of cardboard and drew inverted triangles with lines beneath them.
‘‘It was really bold and really different,’’ Ms McMillan recalls.
‘‘For us, it was a big adventure and a bit of a dream and if you’re going to do that, you don’t want something boring.’’
Todd says the project was based on biophilic design — the idea that integrating elements of the natural world into buildings can enhance people’s wellbeing.
Using timber and tree-like forms not only linked the home to its surroundings but created a warm, inviting atmosphere.
The result was a comfortable, calm space where the owners could ‘‘experience indoor and outdoor living immersed in the natural environment’’.
While the Colorsteel roof is reminiscent of a canopy, the timber-clad steel portal frames on the interior are designed to mimic tree trunks, using timber battens set out like branches.
Builder Mike Kapua says the portals support upside-down roof trusses which were made from 200mm x 100mm laminated beams.
These heavy internal trusses act as counterweights for 3.6m cantilevered trusses which extend out to form the external soffits, finishing at a point only 5cm deep.
One advantage of the wide eaves is there is always somewhere sheltered to sit outside, no matter what the weather.
Located 20 minutes north of Dunedin, the Orokonui valley was home to a private boys’ boarding school until being bought by the government in the early 1900s as a home for recovering alcoholics.
The last patients moved out in the early 1980s and from 2012, the land was divided into lifestyle sections.
Orokonui, a Kai Tahu name referencing a peaceful planting phase of the moon, is a ‘‘poetic fit’’ for a valley now dedicated to ecological renewal, Todd says.
Home to at least 20 native species of birds, including kiwi, kākā and takahe, the ecosanctuary also hosts six species of lizard, the unique tuatara and the country’s tallest tree: an Australian mountain ash which is over 80m high.
Mr Butler says he and his wife fell in love with their 0.4ha site as soon as they saw it and were excited not just about building a house but ‘‘having a project’’.
‘‘We wanted, when we were older, to be out of town but close enough that you’d go in for the evening ... To be somewhere peaceful and natural and then to build a garden.’’
‘‘Sometimes we go and sit down the bottom at night when it’s completely dark and we’ll listen to the ruru calling and the kākā flying home and it’s absolutely brilliant.’’
However, they were determined to retain the ‘‘purity’’ of Todd’s design, which meant not compromising on the shapes or materials.
The plan includes two en suite bedrooms and two living areas, one of which they use for listening to music and jamming with their adult children.
As well as ensuring there were views through the house, the architect included high-level windows which provide unexpected glimpses of the skyline.
The interior is deliberately ‘‘clean and simple’’ so the undulating ceiling is the main focus. To achieve this, the walls were painted the same recessive colour as the roof; an added benefit is the dark shade makes the owners’ art collection sing.
For Mr Butler, who is the general manager for electronics at Fisher & Paykel and manager of its Dunedin design centre, the kitchen was an opportunity to use appliances his teams have worked on.
A storeroom holds the family’s musical instruments and Ms McMillan’s weaving supplies.
‘‘We wanted to have a house full of art and music. We have space for that so it’s awesome but, to be honest, we spend all our time planting the garden and battling rabbits,’’ she says, laughing.
Given its large expanses of glass, the home would have struggled to meet passive house standards but the aim was to use the energy of the sun as well as possible.
The airtight outer shell helps the house remain at a consistent temperature, the concrete floors serve as thermal mass and the 30° slope of the eaves keeps the harsh summer sun out while allowing winter sun to reach all the main areas.
There’s also underfloor heating and a balanced ventilation system.
‘‘It’s a very practical house in terms of heating, sunshine and fresh air but it’s also fun and designed for the way we wanted to live, which was inside and outside.’’
Todd, too, is pleased with the final outcome.
‘‘I’ve done a lot of houses,’’ he says, ‘‘but none of them look like this.’’
