'pouaka waikura' house in rural new zealand emerges as a series of corten steel pavilions

on the sloping base of queenstown hill in new zealand, patterson associates architects has designed a rural home for a couple who wants to spend their mature years surrounded by the peaceful natural scenery. the project is dubbed ‘pouaka waikura’, a phrase in the maori language which loosely translates as ‘rusty gift boxes’. as the name suggests, the structure takes shape as an arrangement of rectilinear pavilions with their corten steel façades accentuating the colors of the local landscape. 

all images courtesy of simon wilson

the 1.8-hectare site forms a natural terrace overlooking the untamed shotover river which disappears around the bend below, shaping an ideal background for this rural residence. designed by patterson associates architects, the architecture generates four robust rectilinear pavilions laid informally along the plateau. the materiality of the project is completed with concrete, corten steel, and blackened steel joinery, while the forms reveal themselves as something akin to a wild-west shanty town.

all pavilions feature a different program, with the central one featuring a bright open living space flanked by a generous kitchen, the clients’ bedroom suite, and their cozy snug. a separate pavilion combines a study and two guest suites for family and friends. meanwhile, the third pavilion includes a drive-through carport between a small wine production area and wine cellar on one side and a wood store and plant room on the other. finally, the fourth serves as a three-bay garage and workshop area. the external spaces connecting the pavilions are as important as the buildings themselves with larch-lined soffits creating covered outdoor living areas.

project info:

name: pouaka waikura
architects: patterson associates architects
design director: andrew patterson
project architect: surya fullerton
team: harriet mildon-king; paul naude and rachel berry
contractor: john gavin construction limited
photography: simon wilson