Omaha Beach
This is a family home in New Zealand, right on the beach. The clients have two children, and the whole family love outdoor activities such as surfing, boating, hiking and other sports. As such, the house needs to reflect their outdoor lifestyle and general philosophy of family activities together. They want the house to feel timeless, and be flexible to accommodate extended family and friends, allow for frequent entertaining, as well as be a welcome sanctuary that the children can return to even once they’ve grown-up and left home.
To make the most of the sea views, the house is arranged with living spaces at first floor, with the dining room, living room and master suite occupying the beach-front areas of the house. Children’s bedrooms and a snug sit to the rear of the property, with an external courtyard in the centre of the plan. At ground floor level, guest suites sit alongside the courtyard, with an additional living space at the front and the garage and ancillary spaces to the rear. The swimming pool sits at the front of the property between the beach and the house; the pool has been raised up to act as a subtle visual barrier to provide more privacy to the house.
By spreading the accommodation across the site, with break-out spaces in the form of courtyards and terraces, it ensures that all spaces benefit from either morning or evening sun, dependent upon their function. The need for privacy is balanced with the desire to maximise the views, and different spaces are created to allow the whole family to spend time together or to find quiet retreat away from one another as needed.
As the family dynamic evolves, the house should be more than capable of accommodating their needs and growing with them.
- Ström Architects team − Magnus Ström
- Location − Omaha Beach, New Zealand
- Visualisation − NuMa
