Waimara House by Herriot Melhuish Architects

Located in Waimarama, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, this modern family residence designed by Herriot + Melhuish Architecture makes the most of its magnificent beachside setting by incorporating large outdoor living areas into the design.The client sought a family house on the beach, with four bedrooms plus studio and study. In this coastal setting, sun, views and habitable outdoor spaces alternately protected from and catching sun and wind were a priority.




















Combining a rational geometrical sensibility with a romantic attachment to the land and tradition, the house consists of two interlocking volumes: a white bedroom wing, loosely derived from the repetitious plan of ‘shearers’ quarters’, inserted into a double height 'timber ‘crate’. More than just a 'beach house', this is an all-year round dwelling.




















However, the need to relocate the building if required ruled out concrete construction. Instead high levels of insulation, heat pump technology and solar panels on the roof, augment the large double glazed openings that capture sun and trap heat in winter, but cool through sea breezes in summer.




















The composition of natural oiled cedar weatherboards, painted plywood and weathered zinc sheet both connects the house to the landscape and some older local traditions, but equally clearly sets it apart from much of the local built context. This is a house strongly connected to the land but prepared, if the sands and tides shift against it, to move.

Surfhouse, Hermosa Beach, California by XTEN Architecture

The Surfhouse sits like an abstract block of weathered wood a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Hermosa Beach, California. The site is very small. Subtracting for setbacks leaves an allowable building area that is only 23 feet wide x 29 feet deep x 30 feet high. The architectural concept maximizes spaces, light, and views while also creating a sense of privacy and retreat for the owners.

The architects approached the project by subtracting the larger program areas from a solid volumetric from that conformed to the web of regulations governing the site, and sought to maximize space, light, and views while also creating a sense of privacy and retreat for the young owners on a busy beachside street.

















The domestic program is stacked vertically on the lot. Services and bedrooms are on the lower floors, with larger rooms pushed to the corners for light and views in multiple directions. The top floor and decks are completely open as continuous indoor / outdoor living spaces with views to the beach and ocean.

















The facade is made from rough sawn, black stained cedar planks with volumetric openings at primary program spaces and a system of identical 2’ x 5’ casement windows arrayed across the secondary elevations for specific views and ventilation. The interior is all light and air, with bamboo floors and walls of glass that slide away to bring the beachside environment inside.