The Chodge

The Chodge is a family vacation home located at Waipamu Station in South Waikato, New Zealand. The station is on the banks of Lake Whakamaru with 360 views over the unique landscape. The design is an exploration of the interstitial space between inside and outside, how you live when on holiday, the relationship with landscape and connection to a rural vernacular. Essentially a house within a house. Living in the threshold drove the idea of creating a space outside the inside, but still inside the outside. The Woolshed vernacular informed the exterior form. A simple functional roof pitch, unadorned, undecorated, and true to the existing woolshed standing on the property. We were careful to emulate the woolshed utilitarian form and resist the urge to over detail and domesticize. The outer structure cladding is weathertight and light emitting. A translucent skin on the interior of the outer structure contributes to the control of heat gain and heat loss. Large operable openings, fire station doors, aircraft hangar doors when open render the outside structure a large-scale veranda. While the outer shell is natural light emitting to interiors during the day, there is a reverse effect at night with the form taking on a glow from interior lighting, illuminating the bones of the structure with an almost x-ray like effect. Inside this outer shell is an extruded wooden container for living functions, designed to Passive Haus principles, super insulated, airtight with heat/cool recovery heating system. This internal space is cave like, in stark contrast to the outside structure environment. By creating this interstitial space, the occupants could live across all the seasons and weather patterns. Additional sleeping spaces on the mezzanine resonate with past camping on the site, in tune with the circadian rhythm of natural daylight hours. Sustainability credentials include 95% wood structural construction, onsite septic treatment and spring fed water supply. The Internal structure is clad entirely inside and outside with Thermally Modified Radiata Pine with a brushed, pre-weathered finish. The TMT is locally grown (100km), harvested, manufactured and is without any harmful preservatives. We optimised the floor space by designing in furniture and storage with customised joinery. This included custom bed bases with drawers, built in wardrobes with storage systems, pull out cupboards under the stairs, and storage under the built-in custom seating. The thermal ventilation chimney also doubles as plant room, additional storage, and lookout tower.