A boutique cabin set within the native rainforest along the West Coast of New Zealand promises guests a calm, inspirational and memorable environment to unwind and unplug from their busy lives.

Designed by award-winning Christchurch-based architectural practice Fabric for a Kiwi architect based in Hong Kong, the cabin named BIV Punakaiki is the first of a series of lodges to be built and marketed as ‘high-end, short-term accommodation’ for holiday-makers.

BIV Punakaiki

Fabric director Mitchell Coll who designed the cabin in collaboration with the client, says that the building takes inspiration from the historic goldmining huts native to the area. Set in the Punakaiki bush, the vacation cabin is fitted out with luxurious facilities to ensure a comfortable stay for modern travellers.

Ideal for couples and families, the 60-square-metre cabin contains a living room, bedroom, sleeping loft, kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Large windows frame the forest to the north, south and west, making it ideal for those who want to experience solitude within the beauty of the native rainforest.

BIV Punakaiki CLT

Given its remote location, Coll chose mass timber construction as it allowed building elements to be prefabricated offsite and brought to the site for assembly.

“It was great working with a client who deeply appreciates design and was keen to push the limits on what accommodation could be,” Coll said.

Observing that the cabin’s aesthetic concept reinterpreted the native goldmining huts, he explained, “The form of the building takes cues from the exterior chimneys repeated on those huts. Internally, the sky facing skylight represents the top of a smokestack, while the large amount of windows offers views into the bush or the cliffs beyond for an all-encompassing West Coast experience.”

Material selection was an important element in meeting the client’s brief, who sought a design that captured the essence of the humble goldmining huts but had all the modern inclusions one expected from high-end accommodation.

Coll chose a mostly timber interior and full metal exterior to portray the hut aesthetic. Keeping in mind the challenges of building in a remote site, the architect opted for mass timber construction in the form of cross laminated timber (CLT).

“CLT was chosen for its prefabricated offsite construction, thermal performance and negative embodied carbon,” Coll explained.

“The geometry of the internal exposed CLT structure and how it relates to the aluminium exterior was critical to get right. The aluminium cladding is fully custom folded with all trays to the top portion of the roof fluted to accentuate the form of the building and ensure minimalist detailing.”

BIV Punakaiki

The cabin’s concrete floor is suspended on a few concrete piles to minimise impact on the land and further promote the idea of ‘simple living’ for guests.

According to Coll, the interior spaces are cosy with the cabin designed for passive thermal gain. “Its high insulation and thermal mass with an active ventilation system keeps it at a stable temperature so there is no need for their input to remain comfortable.”

Coll was named the winner of the 2022 ADNZ Resene Supreme Architectural Design Award for his work on BIV Punakaiki, with the judges describing the cabin as “an incredible secluded hideaway”.

Images: Photography by Stephen Goodenough

Branko Miletic

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