Waitangi Toilet Block

Completed 2009

delight

The brief was to create a new facility, which was light and airy, connected to the exterior. These facilities were required to be a “delight”. Timber was always going to play a major part in the finishing of the building. This is a “hut in the bush” – reminiscent of the basic buildings of this land. The building consists of a large gabled roof supported on a post and beam structure with glass walls to 50% of the exterior beneath. The solid surfaces of the walls are concrete block, which is tiled as for the floor to the interior and enclosed with pine boarding to the exterior. Along the ridge of the roof is a skylight, which floods the building with natural light.

connection with landscape

Along the glazed wall a vertical timber screen is placed, reminiscent of a rough timber palisade, filtering light as
well as vision into the building and also used to direct the rainwater as it falls from the roof.

To either end, a further screen is overlayed to the building. The glass wall has obscure panels to address issues of privacy as
required. Where possible, clear glass allows connection with the
surrounding landscape.

Allowing water from the roof to fall to the ground removes the significant issue of leaf
fall blocking gutters and allowed the creation of a very fine edge to the roof. In contrast to the other buildings on the grounds, the large macrocarpa bargeboards are finished with a horizontal cut to emphasis the
horizontal and the floating nature of the roof.

timber finish

Along the glazed wall a vertical timber screen is placed, reminiscent of a rough timber palisade, filtering light as
well as vision into the building and also used to direct the rainwater as it falls from the roof.

To either end, a further screen is overlayed to the building. The glass wall has obscure
panels to address issues of privacy as required. Where possible, clear glass allows connection with the
surrounding landscape.

Allowing water from the roof to fall to the ground removes the significant issue of leaf fall blocking gutters and allowed the
creation of a very fine edge to the roof. In contrast to the other buildings on the grounds, the large macrocarpa bargeboards are finished with a horizontal cut to emphasis the horizontal and the floating nature of the roof.