Copper Cabin
Tara Iti
Mangawhai, New Zealand
Residential New Build
Completion 2025
With its superb golf course designed by renowned US golf architect Tom Doak, Tara Iti has become a Mecca for golf tourists from the US and around the world. The course is privately owned and restricts visitors, so home owners like our client are keen to provide guest accommodation for friends in the grounds of their own house.
Our client wanted an unobtrusive, paired back design that blended seamlessly into the natural grassy landscape surrounding the course. We took inspiration from the main house, and provided the small cabin like building with an identity all of its own.
Nestled among the pines just a stone’s-throw away from the main house, this bespoke guest house provides keen golfers a peaceful sanctuary during their stay at Tara Iti. The cabin is an easy 400m stroll to the surf beach, and a very short drive to the clubhouse at Tara Iti Golf Club, a landscape dotted with high quality architect designed homes.
In a project of small scale, detail becomes critical to the success of the build
While remaining modest in scale, the cabin adopts similar proportions, use of material and detailing as the existing home to create a clear relationship between the two buildings.
The forms used and external materials allow the cabin to appear as part of the landscape surroundings, while the strong copper fascia makes a strong statement of its independence and connects the house to the strikingly rugged landscape context.
In a project of small scale, detail becomes critical to the success of the build, and we were privileged to have an excellent build team involved who understood the nuance of the design and the need for a high level of craftsmanship.
The resultant cabin is testament to that, and provides a calm and welcoming place for visitors to really immerse themselves in this beautiful rugged coastal location.
