Sanctuary in the Mountains – Alpine Terrace House by Fearon Hay

On a sloping terrace in the shadow of snow-dusted mountain ranges in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, lies a collection of simple, blackened structures that form one dwelling. This is Fearon Hay’s Alpine Terrace, a place dedicated to contemplation and protection within a landscape as harsh as it is sublime.

In the face of natural beauty so vast and wild, a state of awe and wonder takes over that leaves little room for any extraneous thoughts or feelings. The purity of this experience, in which all else falls away, is felt in the Alpine Terrace House, an architectural response of equal clarity. Four volumes, each defined by function, surround a sheltered courtyard. Within these protective spaces, glazed openings capture the full impact of the majestic mountain ranges overlooking the Wakatipu Basin.

Glazed openings capture the full impact of the majestic mountain ranges overlooking the Wakatipu Basin.

The harsh alpine environment is a force to be reckoned with, and the perimeter of the cluster of buildings demarcates a protected sanctuary, a place from which to take in the sheer beauty and power of this landscape in all its extremes. A palette of timber, steel, metal and stone is robust and blackened to create a homogenous silhouette. From afar, the dark form is defined by this uniformity within the varied palette of the surrounding landscape, distinguishing the building as a place of shelter while visually resting gently, not seeking to dominate the scene.

Yet while the low-lying form to some extent appears hunkered-down against the terrace, at a closer encounter it becomes apparent that the volume is cantilevered from atop a concrete plinth. At once anchored into and floating above the site, this moment of surprising lightness and contrast plays on the gravity-defying geological formations that arise within a mountain range and speaks to the juxtaposition between the built form and the overwhelming scale of the natural environment.

The programme is accommodated across the adjoining buildings – a pair of guest rooms and a kitchen designed for social occasions, a dining space flanked by two sitting areas, the master suite, bathroom and library, and a reading room with mudroom, coats and garaging. In this way, the architecture provides a diverse interplay of internal and external spaces, which open and close depending on the weather conditions, neatly contained within the rectangular building envelope. Above this rectangular form, single-pitched roof places interact to create a subtle yet sculptural terrain.

With mountains above and valley below, the terrace on which the Alpine Terrace House rests is a natural point of pause as the land transitions. So too is the house a place of rest, defined the intention of giving sanctuary within a vast landscape.

A palette of timber, steel, metal and stone is robust and blackened to create a homogenous silhouette.

Above this rectangular form, single-pitched roof places interact to create a subtle yet sculptural terrain.