A stunning “bach” for a New Zealand family | Atelierworkshop

This “bach” is perched on a sand dune on New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast. A bach is a modest vacation home in New Zealand, originally referring to a basic shack built from inexpensive or recycled materials, typically on or near a beach. Over time, the traditional bach has given way to larger and more expensive beach houses. This vacation home follows that trend but still retains the spirit of the bach with a simple shed-roofed volume and inexpensive corrugated metal and plywood finish materials.

Designed by Atelierworkshop to accommodate a multi-generational family, the 140 m² (1,507 ft²) floor plan includes four bedrooms and two bathrooms distributed around the central living/dining/kitchen space. The interior is lined with pine plywood, mostly finished with a clear urethane except for a few unexpected punches of bold color paint to liven things up. The same plywood was used to build the cabinets and shelf units throughout.

The small house is oriented to the north with the living area window wall offering views of the water and Kapiti Island, while tall windows on the opposite side provide a close-in view of the lush surrounding vegetation.

The architects designed the house to utilize passive climate control strategies. A combination veranda and sunspace on the sunny north side adapts to the seasons with sliding doors that open to the interior, exterior or both. It can either buffer the home from the prevailing winds or admit cooling breezes. The large door openings and louvred windows on the other sides allow the house to make good use of natural ventilation.

Like early baches, this one is not connected to a piped water system or sewer system, instead relying on rainwater catchment and a septic field. The single-slope metal roof is ideal for collecting rainwater.

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Photographs by John Girdlestone, courtesy of Atelierworkshop. Via Archilovers.

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