Referencing Nostalgia – Tent House by Chris Tate Architecture

Referencing the nostalgia of a simple camping holiday, Chris Tate Architecture’s Tent House takes cues from the traditional geometry of the tent, adding layers of complexity and a considered palette. Lightly touching the enviable location it sits amongst, Tent House contrasts the natural with the built elements.

Located on Waiheke Island, near the city of Auckland, Tent House was designed as architect Chris Tate’s own retreat dwelling. Surrounded by a dense landscape, all effort was made to touch the surrounding vegetation as lightly as possible, ensuring the small and bold statement of a home would sit engulfed in its unique site location. As a contrast to the natural, the built form acts as its own statement, with a clean, minimal and monochromatic palette and stark geometric form that evokes the traditional pitched canvas tent.

Located on Waiheke Island, near the city of Auckland, Tent House was designed as architect Chris Tate’s own retreat dwelling.

With a mere 70 square metres of useable floor area, the home references the occasional cabin, both in size and structure. With an integrated mezzanine level, accessed from a metal spiral internal stair, the sleeping area is elevated, and the lower level becomes an open living, dining and kitchen zone. The generous timber deck to the front of the large full-height glazed opening allows for a spill over of the internal functions, and the operable façade allows for natural sounds, smells and ventilation to be welcomed inward. Designed as a ‘fan’, where the lines of the tilted sides are extended outward, the resulting deck outline is intended as an almost ‘shadow’ of the overall form.

Twisting up from the ground, the rear of Tent House sees the aluminium sheeted roof descend backward from the glazed opening to touch the earth. Although inspired by the geometry of the tent, Tent House takes the ridge-line spine elements and twists it, making it seem as though the form emerges from the site on the two rear sides, opening to its deck at the front. Detailed and concealing joins and structural complexity, the resulting structure combines the traditional with the sophisticated.

Internally, the custom joinery moulds to the angular lines of the exterior, and the furniture is kept minimal for flexibility of function and to allow the boldness of the shell be expressed from all angles. The use of white internally, in contrast with the dark exterior finishing palette, further reinforces the form, contrasting it to its natural surrounds. Chris Tate Architecture’s Tent House sits dramatically in its landscape. While the design references camping in its form – its scale and closeness to the natural elements mean the reference is not too far-fetched.

With a mere 70 square metres of useable floor area, the home references the occasional cabin, both in size and structure.