120 | Waitarere Beach Surf Club T T Sue Russell Perfect view up and down the coast The design is a striking addition to the landscape, with a viewing tower commanding attention. COMMUNITY Paulette Stewart, Design project manager at Levin-based Homestead Construction says the new Waitarere Beach Surf Club facility was a wonderful project to be connected with. As Principal builder, Homestead Construction were able to bring to the table an extensive history working successfully on a wide range of projects in the district. “This was a Design & Build project. We were engaged by the Horowhenua District Council who funded the majority of the build, which had a number of constraining factors we had to work with, given the special location of the new clubrooms,” Paulette explains. Balancing these with meeting the club’s need for storage and working within a fixed pre-determined area, all brought challenges to overcome. Homestead Construction engaged Architect Hamish Wakefield, from HWA Architects to undertake design options to present to Council and the club alike. Given the environmental factors impacting the landscape, the decision to construct using precast concrete panels made sense, from an efficiency and durability point of view. The design is a striking addition to the landscape, with a viewing tower commanding attention, making the building very obvious and providing those using the facility with a broad view up and down the beach. “The whole build went very well, with the community well and truly behind the project from the outset. It’s been sitting with the club as an ambition for more than 10 years now, so its wonderful we’ve been able to deliver this vision for the community to enjoy.” Waitarere Beach is unusual in that it is growing, and not eroding, , hence the need to relocate the surf club building 100m closer to the sea, which placed it on sand dunes. Homestead Construction’s decision to engage HWA Architects was a no-brainer Paulette says. “Hamish was in the process of designing another surf club and we wanted someone with experience. He ticked all the boxes.” Hamish operates a boutique studio based in Porirua and when the opportunity to create a design for Waitatere presented, he knew it would come with challenges and great opportunities attached. “Designing a building that would present well on the beach, be practical for those using it, and have adequate storage, team, and viewing spaces was the priority,” Hamish says. “Having a quite rectangular building shape made sense. The brief itself was very narrow. We were given a very small floor area to work in with: the option of going single storey with slightly more ground floor area, or go up. I designed both options and the decision was made to go with the two-storey design as it meant less compromise on storage and gave the best view up and down the coast.” Designing with the view that at carnival time the clubroom would need to be able to accommodate 200+ surf lifesavers had to also be taken into consideration. Weather protection and keeping the building as low maintenance as possible were also high priorities. A deck to the east offers shelter from the prevailing winds. “Designing a building that would present well on the beach, be practical for those using it, and have adequate storage, team, and viewing spaces was the priority.” Hamish says being involved in such a worthwhile project has been an absolute privilege. “They are great people, very community minded. We had to work with three different resource consents and consultation and input came from Iwi, DOC and the Horowhenua District Council along with the club itself.” Both Homestead Construction and HWA Architects say now the project is completed, with a blessing and official opening on 2 December 2023, it promises to provide those enjoying and those working the beach to keep others safe, a great facility for years to come. Wastewater Treatment Specialist Site Safe Approved Master Plumbers Certified Gas Fitters Qualified PPR Welders Proudly Supporting Waitarere Beach Surf Club 0800 368 2681 | (06) 368 2681 027 2077 790 027 450 8766 Raymond Adam Proudly supporting Homestead Construction
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