History
Cheshire Architects designed the Eyrie Houses, built 2014. Partners Nat Cheshire and Ian Scott conceived these two autonomous, off-grid cabins. The design offers a counterpoint to large holiday homes in New Zealand, subverting traditional building language. Entry requires climbing boulders, entering through a window.
Architecture
Each Eyrie cabin measures 29 m². Exteriors feature burnt black wood. Interiors use light builder's plywood, polished black plywood boards, oiled jarrah eucalyptus wood, and brass panelling. One cabin presents a light interior, the other dark. Entry is through a window, rather than a conventional door.
Setting
The cabins sit on a hillside near Kaiwaka, North Island, New Zealand, overlooking Kaipara Harbour and the Tasman Sea. They are placed within dips and folds of the rolling grassland, providing shelter from wind. The buildings achieve an intimate connection to the surrounding landscape, a quiet presence in the vastness.
Specifications
Two autonomous off-grid cabins, each 29 m². Built 2014.
In print
Home of the Year award, 2014. Featured: Yellowtrace (2015), ArchDaily (2015), Dezeen (2015), Humble Homes (2015), The Local Project (2020), Eco Outdoor, ideasgn, YINJISPACE.
