Downward Pull – Light Mine by Crosson Architects

Opposing convention, Light Mine looks upwards and brings the formal language of its coastal situation with it. Reaching towards the sky to ‘mine’ light and bring it deep into the interior volumes, the traditional means by which elements are extracted is turned on its head. Crosson Architects opens the roof to the sky and, in doing so, infuses the home with an experience that is about more than just the view.

Light Mine is a coastal home, with peaked forms clad in timber and left to weather with the elements so it signals something more considered, something sculptural. “The client was keen on having a single level home, and we wanted to create something that offered more than a horizontal box in its vast context,” describes Ken Crosson, Director of Crosson Architects. “The building sits across the site, and due to its horizontal nature, our approach was to explore ways to animate the geometry, which led us to something more memorable with height and drama expressed both internally and externally.”

Connecting to context plays an important part in the success of the home as a transportive device, shifting away from the everyday and into a more removed mindset.

Spanning the site as a series of interconnected pods, Light Mine sits atop the foredune, nestled into Kūaotunu Bay in the Coromandel Peninsula. Allowing for both separation and connection, the engagement with the outdoors and exposure to the elements when traversing between each pod becomes a further reminder of place. “A multigenerational home,” says Ken, “it was designed for varying ways of habitation – for the owners as a couple and their children and grandchildren, offering spaces to gather as well as [for] privacy and separation.” There are three pods: “the main living and main bedroom pod are all contained together; the second pod is a bunk room, bedroom and bathroom, and the third is a sleepout, with its own bathroom and sitting area,” he describes. Although a holiday home, the owners frequently visit, and so ensuring the main pod contained everything they needed for both short and long stays was important. The other more ancillary pod structures are purposed for the extended family and visitors.

Connecting to context plays an important part in the success of the home as a transportive device, shifting away from the everyday and into a more removed mindset. This change is achieved most obviously through the visual connection to the outdoors. “There are many moments throughout the house that connect to outward views,” Ken says, “from sitting in the bath to dining to bay windows and corner windows within the living space – directing the focus towards nature was key.” More subtly, light brought into the interior from above also creates a sense of connection to place, both in the engagement with the sky and stars and in the articulation of interior forms as light moves through the space, registering time. The timber-lined turrets are each distinctive and point in different directions to best capture the sun throughout the day. There is a quietening in the deep voids created as space is pulled upward. “We wanted to not just create different ways to inhabit a house but to challenge that which had been done before,” explains Ken. “We wanted to create different experiences throughout, and through expressing the verticality and emphasising it, we were able to both articulate the overall silhouette and dramatise the interior.” There is a gentleness that comes from the diffused light above, and seeing it move around the spaces throughout the day adds a layer to the architecture – “the spaces become more interesting; it’s ever-changing and engaging.”

Although a holiday home, the owners frequently visit, and so ensuring the main pod contained everything they needed for both short and long stays was important.

The idea of discovery and exploration is heightened through an immersion in nature. It is also captured in the references to the now-closed gold mines in the area, a geometry that informed the upward-facing ‘mines’, as an inverted expression. The overall approach responds to the location and history whilst also capturing the spirit of the inhabitants. Built by the owner, a carpenter, alongside the main contractor, “the home is a reflection of how they live as a family, as makers, builders and craftspeople, and reflective of the context,” says Ken. “They are aspirational people,” he adds, “but also very humble and grounded – and we wanted to create something that reflects who they are and is uniquely theirs.”

Further exploration of materiality and experimentation follow through to the encasing timber cladding. “The exterior is a timber rain screen, and although it is similar to weatherboard in its strong horizontality, the boards are more clearly delineated, with expressed shadow joins between them,” describes Ken. “The reclaimed timber is a local native species called tōtara. With the boards milled from already fallen trees, reducing the need for deforestation, they are left to silver off in the elements.” A similar timber-lined approach is brought internally, yet in a more refined and lightened manner. “The timber used inside is deliberately soft and warm with a band-sawn finish,” he says. Through the nuanced detailing, the outer shell offers something uniquely different to neighbouring properties, whilst still reminiscent of the ubiquitous New Zealand timber building tradition.

The idea of discovery and exploration is heightened through an immersion in nature.

Whilst emphasising a connection outward, Light Mine also pulls attention inward as a contemplative retreat. “There is a mellowness and a softness to the final resolve,” Ken reflects, “like the ebb and flow of being along the coast, and the encouraged ease of movement between inside and out.”