Refined Sleep-Out – Matapouri Pavilion by HB Architecture

Sitting in stark contrast to its naturally lush and densely vegetated surrounds, Matapouri Pavilion is a sleek and linear insertion into the landscape. HB Architecture proposes a contemporary and crisply articulated structure to sit sensitively in its unique location, openly embracing nature.

Perching out over a levelled clearing, Matapouri Pavilion hugs the coastal landscape it sits within, while a veil of floor-to-ceiling glass ensures an uninterrupted immersion in place. In its remote and undeveloped milieu, the guest house is a sensitive addition, maximising reminders of the location through visual and operable features that fill the structure with sounds and smells of the coast. Sitting in a deep valley in Matapouri, in the Northland area of New Zealand, the unique siting ensures a protection from the incoming climatic elements while reinforcing views outward to the private bay directly ahead. HG Architecture looks to modernist masters in maximising a connection to the landscape, treading lightly and respectfully in the process.

A mostly natural palette ensures a textural warmth is embedded throughout, with the timber flooring underfoot stretching from the interior out across the generous deck that surrounds

Built by Peter Brown, Matapouri Pavilion sees a series of linear elements comprise the overall form, with a deep and protective covered deck surrounding the home. Although an occasional holiday home, the residence captures a known refinement of the urban dwelling, while almost protecting its contents within the overall form. Sitting on an axis out toward Aorangi Island, the guesthouse is both anchored to the contours of the land, while predominantly being outward facing. In ensuring the appropriate comforts are provided for on site, the dwelling is self-contained with its own kitchen, bathroom, storage for boats and a separate bedroom space under the same shared roof.

A mostly natural palette ensures a textural warmth is embedded throughout, with the timber flooring underfoot stretching from the interior out across the generous deck that surrounds. While the area calls for a sleep-out type space amongst the landscape, ensuring amenity was accessible and inbuilt was key. In referencing the likes of Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson’s navigation of a minimal form in a lush landscape, the glass, steel and timber structure sits intentionally low to the ground. Spread over a mere 65 square metres, the guest house sits protected over a generous 150sqm roof structure, with sliding doors allowing for the landscape to feel like an extension of the guest house itself.

Spread over a mere 65sqm, the guest house sits protected over a generous 150sqm roof structure, with sliding doors allowing for the landscape to feel like an extension of the guest house itself.

Formed from ideals of simplicity and an honest connection to its site, HG Architecture’s Matapouri Pavilion sits as an exemplar of a considered and conscious modern retreat, idyllically situated and refined in its execution.