594 2013 D 6 DETAIL

Beach Hut on Runners on Whangapoua

Beach

Architects:
Crosson Ciarke Garnachan Architects,
Auckiand
Sections • Fioor pians
Assistants: scaie 1;200
Ken Grosson, Nick Rowe, James Young
1 Living room 5 Bathroom
Structurai engineers:
2 Dining room 6 Bunk bedroom
GMR Engineering, Auckiand 3 Kitchen 7 Sieeping
Others involved in the project: see page 664 4 Ladder gallery

The Goromandel Peninsula on the North Is-

land of New Zealand extends 85 km into the
Pacific Ocean. White sandy beaches, steep
rocks, turquoise water and subtropical rain-
forest make this area a leisure paradise. Yet
the peninsuia is too sparsely populated,
which is surprising when one considers its
naturai beauty and its proximity to Auckiand,
the largest city in the country.
The beach where this small hut stands is sit- 1 -
i
uated in an official erosion zone. This ac-
counts for the planning authority's require-
u
ment that it shouid be possibie to dismantie
the structure and remove it. The architects,
in turn, proposed a dweiiing that could be
moved on two wooden runners and drawn
by a tractor to safer ground if necessary.
Buried in the rear part of the site are a rain-
.waler.lankancLa_sma|i.-bJode,aradabie seo-
tic tank. Electricity and drinking water are
provided by the nationai suppiy system, and
if the hut is moved, the service connections
have to be relaid. Rainwater collected in the
galvanized steei barréis on the roof is used
for the shower and WG. The barréis also act
as superimposed loads on the buiiding,
which has a structure of various tropical tim-
bers. This helps the hut to withstand the
strong storms experienced on the Pacific
coast. A simiiar purpose is served by the
bb
u
huge folding shutter in front of the two-
storey glazed facade. The shutter is cranked
opened and shut, and in a raised position, it
forms a canopy over the large areas of glaz-
ing, through which suniight penetrates far
into the interior in winter. When the doors
are open, internal and external space merge
to form a continuum, and the 40 m^ room
flows out to the beach, so that the breadth
of the sea can be fully experienced by the
residents - a family with three children.
Every corner is used in this simple, function-
al dweiiing. Room-height shelving provides
a great deal of storage space, and even the
children's beds are set in three tiers above
each other. The parents sieep on the gailery
level, where they enjoy a prospect of the
sea from their double bed: and from the gal-
lery, a ladder leads up to the roof terrace,
which offers a panoramic view.
DETAIl 2013 Documentation 595
596 Beach iHut on Runners on Whangapoua Beach 2013 0 6 DETAIL

45/90 mm merbau boarding

45/30-70 mm or 45/70-130 mm bearers
two iayer seai; 17 mm piywood to faiis
200 mm or 100 mm (min.) giass wooi
12 mm radiata pine veneered sheeting
25/250 mm sawn macrocarpa boarding on
30/45 mm counterbattens
25/45 mm battens
9 mm fibre-cement sheeting
20 mm battens/ventiiated cavity
windproof iayer
45/90 mm wood posts with
giass wooi between
9 mm radiata pine veneered sheeting
75/200 mm peripherai timber bearers
45/240 mm radiata pine rafters
45/140 mm radiata pine rafters
9 mm fibre-cement sheeting
20 mm battens/ventilated cavity
windproof iayer
45/90 mm wood posts with
giass wooi between
9 mm radiata pine veneered sheeting
sliding window with singie glazing in
western red cedar frame
9 mm fibre-cement foiding shutter
with pneumatic spring
19 mm radiata pine veneered sheeting
45/240 mm wood joists with
120 mm poiystyrene between
2x 100/450 mm wood runner
concrete base
door: doubie glazing in epoxy-resin-coated
steei frame
25/250 mm sawn macrocarpa boarding on
25/75/5 mm steel RHS frame
7 mm profiied aiuminium covering
200 mm steei channei „
DETAIL 2013 D 6 Documentation 597

10

— 13
i
Copyright of Detail (English Edition) is the property of Institut fuer Internationale
Architektur-Dokumentation GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to
multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.
However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.