Gillespie Bach

A classic 70’s bach, between Taupo and Turangi, was transformed into a home-away-from-home to accommodate multi-generational family holidays.

With a nod to the families love of boats, the house was built like three adjacent, elongated, and seemingly separate rectangular boat sheds that have been run together from street to lake-front and capped by steep, highly expressed gables. On the lake side, the sheds align as a three-peaked chevron, a zig zag of sorts that is both nautical and mountainous, architectural and graphic. Moving back from this facade the forms independently stagger, towards the main entrance, and ending with a tractor garage at the street side.

The house is modular and flexible to allow for the different needs of the family and the weather. It encompasses clever use of both public and private spaces - maximising the reserve that runs along the lake front, and also allowing space to tuck away from the wind in the internal courtyard. Intricate timber screens can be opened or closed to connect or retract from the lake front.

Nestled on the edge of the lake between Taupo and Turangi.

Careful attention to detail in the zig zag chevron features, timber screens and high windows.

Extensive use of wood that marries up to other materials and required careful craftsmanship and consideration.