The archetype "castle" as an outpost or fort is rarely developed in the modern world. This farmhouse project in New Zealand, designed by Andrew Patterson, explores this type of architecture in its dual essence of command and defence in a single building. It looks like a sort of "sentry" guarding the landscape.
West Coast House - Parihoa, where wind and sea thunder about 60 metres below, has a wraparound shape that protects a courtyard from the rugged and harsh coastal environment.
A simple strategy of formal juxtapositions creates various spatial experiences. The entrance is "guarded" by a portcullis that keeps away the sheep and sections of the perimeter walls can pivot open unexpectedly. The spaces of the house are linked by the inner courtyard in which there are secret doors positioned in a seemingly arbitrary manner. Long views across the courtyard focus on the endless horizon, passing through the openings looking out over the ocean and the sky.
68
comment