Hidden Sophistication

Riggans Build

A bush retreat at Piha earned Riggans Building recognition when Herbst Architects won the NZIA National Architecture Award in 2018 for the Home of the Year.

The three-bedroom bach is set back off the beach in the surrounding native bush, and elevated to help optimise the sea views. 

The outside entertainment and living are set in the centre of the house – all bedrooms and bathrooms are built around it forming a rectangular funnel shape from above.

 

A father and son run company with over 30 years experience, Riggans Building consists of highly skilled, qualified builders who value an elevated standard of workmanship. 

We live to create structures of style. With quality finishing at the heart of what we do, we aim to bring the vision of the architect and client to life. 

For 10 years we have worked with Herbst architects. We are conscious of their designs from a construction sense as well as the artistic grasp they have for their designs; we understand how the building needs to feel.

 

The brief called for a beach house which takes advantage of the spectacular natural environment surrounding the site and able to be used year round.

The site is at the base of a steep mountain slope behind the beach which is completely covered in tall mature Pohutukawa trees.

Being overhung by trees and under mountain peaks makes it extremely sun challenged and the architects had to design all of the living around that important feature.

All of the living functions of the house have been lifted onto an upper level to give views of the ocean from the living room, as well as the bedrooms closer to the light – and the canopy of the trees.

In order to take advantage of the spectacular view of the Pohutukawa trees and mountain surrounding the house as well as to let light in from above, they set up a continuous clerestory window to the perimeter of the upper volume.