Lower Shotover House

A house for a ‘ski family’, orientated towards the mountain views. Partly embedded in the sloping site, the home is well insulated against Central Otago’s climatic extremes and responds to the landscape’s moods and character. Schist-clad and gabled, it speaks the architectural language of the region with a contemporary inflection.

Unifying interior and exterior architecture is an on-going Bureaux interest. Here, the architectural experience and sense of permanence is amplified through careful material specification and attention to light, shadow and texture. The entrance experience is akin to descending into a finely crafted piece of joinery – floors, walls and ceilings are clad in variations of oak, there is custom window seating, and silver or black-ocean travertine throughout. A full-service project, Bureaux designed the majority of furniture and carefully specified or commissioned all other furniture and objects – right down to the crockery.

Photography by Sam Hartnett

2022 NZIA Local Architecture Awards (Southern) - Winner, Housing category
2021 Best Awards - Gold, Residential Interiors category