Scrubby Bay by Patterson Associates

Framing Antarctic storms rolling into remote Pigeon Bay on New Zealand’s South Island, Scrubby Bay by Patterson Associates delivers a robust guesthouse for group farm stays and wilderness activities.

Located on a historic, 600-hectare sheep and cattle station fronting a storm-lashed beach, Scrubby Bay offers a striking experience of 10 kilometres of coastline – rugged, dramatic and ever-changing. Tasked with designing a private, place-specific building for gatherings of up to 14 guests, Patterson Associates drew inspiration from the landscape’s powerful and enduring character, underpinned by the firm’s interest in Māori history, culture and mythology. Accessible only via helicopter or a 40-minute four-wheel-drive journey along clifftop farm tracks, Scrubby Bay embraces the notion that “we are part of the planet, children of the earth mother and sky father, entitled to this space as much as the trees and the birds,” reflects Andrew Patterson, director of Patterson Associates.

Tasked with designing a private, place-specific building for gatherings of up to 14 guests, Patterson Associates drew inspiration from the landscape’s powerful and enduring character, underpinned by the firm’s interest in Māori history, culture and mythology.

This profound connection to place propelled the design team to develop a narrative around the site’s architectural presence and the station’s existing heritage buildings. “The symmetrical bay is a natural amphitheatre; the beach feels like an orchestra pit and the small coastal plain in front of it is the stage,” muses Andrew. Eschewing the quiet, unobtrusive quality often favoured by works set amid such powerful natural settings, Scrubby Bay assumes a commanding role – an opera diva standing at centrestage and singing into the wind.

The building’s simple rural gabled roofs synergise with the station’s existing heritage buildings and offer a silhouette that feels timeless. Despite this enduring quality, Andrew suggests that “the building is still temporary compared to the eternal age of the bay – its lightweight timber construction and high-embodied carbon honours the perpetuity of the landscape, while functionally, it enables the dwelling to be relocated by future generations in response to changing sea levels.”

Eschewing the quiet, unobtrusive quality often favoured by works set amid such powerful natural settings, Scrubby Bay assumes a commanding role – an opera diva standing at centrestage and singing into the wind.

For the project’s material language, the firm turned its attention to the remote, stony beach that bears witness to nature’s artistic chaos – “a changing repository of driftwood from the surrounding forest that lines the shoreline.” With its long timber form, the architecture mirrors this natural phenomenon as another piece of weathering driftwood: “Part of the landscape but still temporary in geological time.” The sawn cedar-clad walls, roof and decks are intended to slowly age, softening against the tones of the station’s sun-drenched crops in the dry season.

Locally sourced macrocarpa timber lines the internal walls of the guesthouse in its entirety, offering a poetic continuity of the driftwood expression. Large storm shutters with barn bracing lend adjustability to the building envelope, allowing the interior to be exposed to or protected from strong breezes. “The interior is robust,” says Andrew. “You can wander through with farm boots on, children can race in and out and increasing age and patina add to its character.”

For the project’s material language, the firm turned its attention to the remote, stony beach that bears witness to nature’s artistic chaos – “a changing repository of driftwood from the surrounding forest that lines the shoreline.”

The house contains three main bedroom suites, each featuring a freestanding bathtub overlooking the striking bay. These tranquil spaces enable privacy between guests while maintaining raw connections to the land, sea and sky. A kids’ bunk room that accommodates an additional eight guests is set around a series of shared spaces and amenities: a compact laundry and powder room, a kitchen and butler’s pantry and a living hub that encourages groups of travellers to come together at day’s end.

“What solidifies the contemporary nature of the design is its expansive volume and generous scale,” says Andrew. The roof ’s soaring ridge line, reaching a lofty 5.5 metres in height, is accentuated by a central, doublesided fireplace clad in rugged stone quarried from the site’s shoreline – a weighty, silvered gesture set within the warmth of the knotted timber interior. Full-height glass walls connect visitors to the coast, while an array of bespoke lighting brings a feeling of intimacy enhanced by inset library shelving, a welcoming lounge setting and luxurious wool rugs made from local Annandale fleece. Throughout, robust detailing is contrasted by black steel framing that allows the shifting tones of the landscape to remain the focal point, further animated by processions of sheep and cattle along the surrounding ridge lines.

“What solidifies the contemporary nature of the design is its expansive volume and generous scale,” says Andrew.

To the north, sliding pocket doors connect the indoor living areas to an ocean-facing terrace, inviting visitors to delight in the changing qualities of the home’s rugged beach. On the landward side of the building is a dining deck, a heated lap pool and a spa set amid the activity of the station and hills. “There are pull-in bays for four-wheel drives and quad bikes, and all the functional services needed for such a remote location, with all energy, water and waste sustainably managed.”

Harnessing a strong sense of belonging with the land, Scrubby Bay is a welcome centrepiece to the landscape, offering a harmonious union between architecture and nature’s artistry. It also fosters authentic memory-making for guests. “Ultimately, the architecture is intended as a bridge for people to participate in and enjoy the drama of the landscape, commune with nature and experience everyday station life.”

Architecture by Patterson Associates. Build by Hoogervorst Builders. Engineering by Arthur Tyndall. Development by Annandale.