Turn Point Lodge
The brief to Hugh Tennent, architect and senior designer at Tennent and Brown Architects, posed some rather interesting and unusual parameters. The first was to provide accommodation for two brothers allowing private spaces for each and the second was the remote location with the most direct access being a 40 minute boat ride through Marlbourgh Sound.
The hillside site for the project overlooks a remote area of the Marlbourgh Sound which has no access to any facilities. In this idyllic location preservation of the natural environment was paramount and the potential use of any heavy machinery was very limited.
These criteria inspired the solution, to create three towers which would reflect the individual quality of the private spaces. Each module was to be built off site and air lifted to the location.
The design brief required that each of the occupants would have a separate bedroom, a study and a bathroom. These areas would provide privacy but be connected to the central pavilion with shared kitchen, living room and dinning areas. The communal building sits parallel to the water front below with panoramic views of the Sounds and mountainous terrain. The variable, and sometimes blustery, sea breezes required the extension of generous decking spaces to allow sheltered outdoor options depending on the wind direction and to capture both the morning and evening sun. A great deal of attention was given to landscaping the spaces between the buildings with terraces, decking and the retention of existing trees.
Turn Point Lodge, named after its location, is used by the owners as a retreat during the year but predominantly during summer months. The intermittent use of the retreat and the separation of the accommodation and communal facilities made the use of solar energy impractical. Electricity is made on demand by a diesel generator and to minimise the use of electricity photo voltaics and gas are used for water heating and cooking. Rainwater is collected from the roofs of each module and a biolytix septic tank system is installed which suits the dormant and long periods when the lodge is not occupied
The three building units and sub-floors were built off-site at Mahikapawa by David Kepes of Timbercraft Construction. Building the units off site meant careful consideration had to be given to every detail particularly as the helicopter had a five tonne load capacity. The marine environment and wind load considerations meant each of the units had to be kept to a weight not exceeding 4.5 tonnes and had to be able to stay structurally rigid during the lift. The two accommodation units where constructed in there completed form but the communal building (because of size and weight) was created in two halves and winched together once landed on the sub frames.
The completed complex is 114 sq.metres and clad and roofed in ColorCote® ARX™ pre-painted aluminium which is a strong, lightweight, corrosion resistant and low maintenance system well suited to this salt spray environment.