#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
cheshire architects embeds monolithic eyrie cabins into rural new zealand landscape
sitting among the rolling hills near kaiwaka, ‘eyrie’ is a project comprised of two autonomous dwellings by cheshire architects. modest in design, the two cabins are based north of auckland in new zealand and collectively boasts a quiet and contemporary response to its isolated and scenic environment.
their monolithic form references an avant-garde suprematist painting by the artist kazimir malevich. each measuring at only an area of 29 sqm, the constricted floor-plan posed a challenge but at the same time, enabled the design to be pared back to the bare necessities and essentials of everyday living. constructed using charred plywood, the holiday homes have two large openings, one orientated to frame the landscape, and the other acting as the entrance. several wooden hatches allow ventilation, meanwhile a skylight on the ceiling provides views of the sky at night. inside, one cabin is clad in light plywood and the other is black.
despite its small footprint, the two level space uses refined and well-crafted finishes. along with their high ceilings, they don’t feel claustrophobic. with no designated pathways or routes, the diminutive retreats works with the uninterrupted, moody landscape and provides inhabitants with a poetic escape and off-the-grid experience.
‘in these houses a history of prismatic abstraction is conflated with a poetic of small boats bobbing in a sea of grass. there are no doors. one climbs up boulders and in through a window instead. we hoped that in subverting the shorthand language of building these little constructions might feel like something other than – and more than – houses.’ – cheshire architects
