Falcon Brae Villa
Set on 350 acres of private forest and native bush, Falcon Brae Villa is located on the ridge of the property at near 200m elevation with expansive views to the river and the Kahurangi National Park. The villa complex is an architecturally designed, contemporary residence being marketed as an exclusive use package. It is completely off the grid with a 24kw solar array, its own water collection and wastewater system.
The development of Falcon Brae involved the master planning of a 50-hectare block of existing farm and scrub land including restoration of an existing farmhouse villa, planting of over 50,000 manuka (to be used for honey production) and creation of walking and biking tracks around the property.
Architect, Simon Hall, of Jerram Tocker Barron Architects Ltd says the owners were keen to reflect New Zealand but also the Pacific in their creation of this offering of holiday paradise. Under a 1,000m2 roof, the building has three suites and everything one could wish for including a games room, media room, heated pool and spa, a secluded hot tub and golfing greens.
“The feature curved roofs soar over the main living areas and allow generous volume spaces to the villa with high level day lighting and ventilation, reflecting the wings of a falcon and the surrounding landscape”, he says.
“The building was carefully located on the hill side over many levels to accommodate the contours of the site and maximise the sweeping views of the Motueka river and the Kahurangi National Park which opened in 1996.
“The main architectural feature is the series of soaring curved roofs which are not only curved in one plane but are also included for a curved elliptical arc on the fascia creating a wing edge to the curved roofs. Secret membrane gutters were formed which include a curved mesh cover to the gutters to protect these from keas.”
Throughout the build keas took an active interest in equipment on site so contractors had to ensure bird interference was avoided. A 1km long access road with a 200m elevation was carefully cut into the granite hillside while existing native vegetation was maintained around the site which was windy and exposed. The grade on the road was chosen to minimise its extent but ensuring access for construction.
The main contractor was Gardner Building Contractors and at the height of construction there were 22 carpenters on site, plus sub-contractors and landscapers over an 18-month period.
Innovation in roof installation was a feature of this project, Iconic Cladding installers overcoming such obstacles as shifting the rollformer to site and operating on the hillside site in two different locations. No crane could be deployed on this terrain so additional manpower was needed to manually carry long sheet lengths up a scaffold ramp to be walked onto the roof. Iconic Cladding provided a generator on site to power the Eurostyle machine and the accuracy of the curved sheets was paramount. The longest sheet was 17m so it was manual labour holding the sheets square as they went through the curving machine. Roofing Industries Marlborough branch manager David Austin said once they had the correct radius for the roof the installation progressed well. The balance of roofing work was done on what is now the helipad and progress was always subject to weather – wind being a factor on this exposed site.
Simon Hall continues: “The curved roofs are supported by large curved exposed glulam beams and timber throughout provides a sustainable but natural finish and warmth to the building including floors, walls and ceiling linings. The cedar is finished with a grey oil to blend and complement the manuka forest.
“Waxed mild steel was featured in the chimney linings and without doubt the most impressive design feature of this complex is the curved metal roofs which soar above the main buildings and create a beautifully dynamic roof element which allows daylight into the building while providing brim to avoid direct sunlight”.
Roofing Industries’ Zinacore .55, prepainted aluminium and zinc coated steel material was selected for Falcon Brae Villas with its profiles Eurostyle epic angle seam 450mm pan – for the curves and Eurostyle Spanlok 450 pan – for the gable roofs and vertical cladding.
Falcon Brae Villa resort
50 minutes south west of Nelson and 45 minutes south of Abel Tasman National Park, Falcon Brae Villas, 720sqm in size, is a high spec retreat, suitable for those seeking exclusive use, five star service accommodation in a luxurious private setting with spectacular views of the mountains and river below. The resort provides easy access to all the major activities in the Nelson-Tasman region – a part of New Zealand the American owners have embraced by creating the Falcon Brae Villa.
Falcon Brae Villa provides the option of three individual suites and an additional bunk room for groups of up to 10 guests (6 adults and up to four children). It is ideal for multigenerational families seeking total privacy. The entire villa can be booked as exclusive use with a private chef and house staff and for larger groups there’s an option to rent both Falcon Brae Villas and Stonefly Lodge for a total capacity of 14 adults and four children. Stonefly Lodge is a traditional lodge complex where guests stay in individual deluxe rooms and dine together in the dining room.
Falcon Brae Villas’ contemporary residence features a large central lounge with a five-metre ceiling, sunken bar, grand piano, media theatre, commercial kitchen, three dining areas and features a collection of New Zealand and local Maori art. Guests can enjoy the games den which has modern gym equipment, pool table, table tennis, darts and a games table. The large deck looks out to the mountains and features an outdoor heated pool and spa and a barbecue area with a shaded pergola.
The three suites are luxury plus, ranging in size from 124 to 135 sqm with a junior suite of 57sqm, all with private deck space, full cocktail bar, coffee and tea making facilities, luxurious bathrooms and a high-quality TV and audio system.
Marketing
Stonefly Lodge mainly attracts repeat clients, agent referrals and word of mouth clients. The business for Falcon Brae Villas, which has opened more recently, receives bookings from agents dealing with high-end travellers wanting a luxury product with five-star service.
Scope understands Falcon Brae Villa is currently offering a $5000.00 per night special which includes daily continental and full cooked country breakfast, pre-dinner drinks with canapes and a four-course gourmet dinner. A minimum stay of two nights is required. Until the borders reopen New Zealand residents can stay in a Villa Suite for $1,500.00 per night.
To learn more visit www.falconbraevilla.co.nz
Or email info@falconbraevilla.co.nz