TE TIO
PROJECT STAGE Near Completion
PROJECT ARCHITECT Charissa Snijders
PROJECT TEAM Charissa Snijders + Habitus Mode + Sanghun Lee + Connor Tennent
CONTRACTOR Geoff Hick Builders
STRUCTURAL/GEOTECHNICAL & WASTEWATER ENGINEERS Mercury Bay Civil Design
Hahei is a special place for the clients where they have had a holiday home for many years and a large social gathering of friends. They were drawn to creating their ‘forever home further up the hill to emerge themselves "in this volcanic landscape of rocky peaks and rugged outcrops on land and at sea’. Their love of birds, the forest and the views to the sea claimed their imagination and hearts and we worked together to create their dream home that would nourish them in their future years. Te Tio emerged as the home's name, Te tio - meaning ‘bird call' in Maori, which linked to the small volcanic island to the east and to their love of birds.
The home is located on a quiet cul-de-sac and the site adjoins a rural property, a forest and to the North the sea framed by the pa site to the East and the rising sun. The brief was to design a creative home for a writer, a craftsperson, avid gardeners and wildlife protectors, with a love of food and easy entertaining. The placement of the home responded to its context and quietly rests within the landscape. Anchoring the main living space to the west with a courtyard that overlooks the hillscapes, forest and setting sun, is held by the garage and workshop along the southern banks edge. Gaining advantage of the sunlight and stunning sea views to the north and east the living and main bedroom all encompasses and connects with this feast and spreads out with cantilevering decks poised lightly above the land.
A trip down to the the creative room brings another experience where you enter an more intimate realm with the orchard and punga grove. The creative room is connected to the home by a series of platforms and integrated landscaping. The planting and different levelled deck platforms seamlessly weaves into the design and links building and planting into the land.
Overall the design is relaxed, simple and a celebration of its locale. The design purposely breaks into smaller visually interesting structures that minimise the overall visual impact and help it meld into the land.
