ALKI
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN STUDIO
CLIENT
LOCATION
TYPE
Henry + Rachel Wilson
Wānaka, Otago
Accessory Building
PACKAGE
DATE
REVISION
Concept
24 Sept 2026
1
WELCOME Package Nº1
Following the progression of the main residence into Design Development, I’m pleased to share the first Concept Design package for the supporting apartment, garage and workshop. This package establishes the initial architectural direction, bringing the accessory building into the wider language of the Wilson Residence while responding to its more practical role on the property. It also begins to consider the relationship between the two structures, the revised building platform and a staged approach to construction — with the apartment forming Phase 1, the garage and workshop Phase 2, and the main residence Phase 3. This is our starting point to review together. The concept gives us a framework from which we can refine the planning, staging and details while ensuring the two buildings develop as a cohesive whole.
2
Alki Architecture + Design Studio, Concept Henry + Rachel Wilson
Nº2
WELCOME Nº3
BRIEF Nº4
DESIGN Nº10
NEXT STEPS
Wilson Residence
BRIEF SCOPE A supporting structure accommodating a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, alongside a generous mezzanine providing a secondary lounge/media space, Murphy bed, library/reading nook and sewing/office area. Dedicated kombucha, machinery and general-purpose garage bays provide the working component of the building, with associated carports and covered utility areas. The building is designed to support staged construction, allowing the apartment to be completed and occupied independently before the garage and workshop follow.
INFLUENCES The architectural language draws directly from the main residence, translating its rammed earth, charred timber, simple roof form and strong linear planning into a more utilitarian building. Rural functionality, future flexibility and the northern mountain outlook further shape the planning, circulation and relationship to the wider site.
ESSENCE A hardworking companion to the main residence — practical and robust, but clearly belonging to the same architectural family. The building balances living, making and storage beneath a unified form, while establishing the first built piece of the wider master plan.
3
Alki Architecture + Design Studio, Concept Henry + Rachel Wilson
Wilson Residence
sliding screens to match main house
Accessory Building APARTMENT GROUND FLOOR / 100m2
APARTMENT MEZZANINE / 60m2
APARTMENT CARPORT / 35m2
KOMBUCHA LEAN TO / 35m2
DOUBLE BAY GARAGE / 138m2
KOMBUCHA GARAGE / 68m2
The accessory building adopts the material and formal language of the main residence, translating it into a simpler, more utilitarian structure. A single monopitch roof unifies the long form, while a series of north–south rammed-earth walls divide the building into clear programme — bookending the apartment, central carport and garage bays beneath one continuous roof plane. From the north, the apartment occupies the western end of the building, prioritising the mountain outlook and providing a clear point of arrival before reaching the working garage areas. The central carport
creates a deliberate void between the living and utility functions, providing a covered entrance and reinforcing the major axis shared with the main residence. Rammed earth is paired with vertical charred timber cladding and a restrained palette carried across from the main home. Along the garage elevation, the large openings are evenly spaced to establish a simple rhythm, allowing a fundamentally practical building to retain the order and proportion of the wider architectural scheme.
MASTER PLAN SITE + STAGING
primary axis secondary axis primary outlook
HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - ACCESSORY BUILDING Scale 1/250
The accessory building is positioned in direct relationship with the main residence, establishing a shared master plan while allowing each structure to retain its own circulation and outlook. Two primary axes organise the wider scheme: the landscaped driveway procession between the buildings, framed by birch trees, wildflowers and grasses; and the alignment through the carport voids of both structures, visually connecting the two buildings across the site.
stage 0
3
Secondary axes describe movement within each building. In the main residence, this extends through the courtyard and natural pool towards the western mountains; within the accessory building, it continues through the drive-through garage bay and reconnects with the wider driveway. Both living areas are orientated north towards the prairie, Mt Maude and surrounding ranges. The placement of the apartment at the western end of the accessory building establishes a clear residential arrival before reaching the working garage areas. This also allows the apartment to operate independently in the future, with occupants able to arrive without passing the main residence or moving through the working areas of the property. The garage and machinery functions are consequently pushed further east, creating a natural transition from living to utility across the site. The master plan also establishes the proposed construction sequence: Phase 1 – Apartment; Phase 2 – Garage + Workshop; Phase 3 – Main Residence. The central carport provides a deliberate break between the first two phases, allowing the apartment to be constructed and occupied independently while maintaining the eventual form of the completed building. Together, the three phases can develop incrementally without losing sight of the property as one cohesive architectural and landscape composition.
stage 0
1 stage 0
2
NORTH FACING
SPATIAL PLAN GROUND FLOOR PLAN
cluster of birch trees + wild grasses
colonnade of birch trees sliding screens
sliding screens
built-in seating 2.
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stage 01
stage 02
HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - ACCESSORY BUILDING Scale 1/150
The apartment occupies the western end of the building, providing direct arrival from the driveway and allowing it to operate independently from both the garage and future main residence. Two mirrored bedroom suites sit along the southern edge, each with a walk-in robe leading through to a private ensuite. The stair separates these quieter rooms from the social spaces, providing both spatial and acoustic separation without introducing additional corridors.
Kitchen, dining and living are arranged as one open volume facing north. The kitchen sits against the stair, leaving the northern elevation open to the primary outlook, with central dining and a generous window seat beneath the large northern opening. Glazed doors provide connections on both sides — east to the covered entry/carport and west to future outdoor living.
A central 5.5 m carport and covered zone separates the apartment from the working garage functions. To the south, this becomes the covered utility area serving the kombucha bay, allowing both apartment bedrooms external outlook while providing an acoustic and physical buffer from the garage. Beyond, the kombucha bay and two larger machinery bays occupy the eastern end of the building, with the southern edge forming the primary service and vehicle circulation route.
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carport + covered entry to apartment open kitchen, living + dining staircase w. storage room below master suite w. walk-in robe + ensuite bunk room w. walk-in robe + ensuite outdoor access to outdoor living kombucha lean to + outdoor area kombucha garage bay double bay garage w. through access
SPATIAL PLAN MEZZANINE FLOOR PLAN
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projector 2.
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HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - ACCESSORY BUILDING Scale 1/150
The mezzanine concentrates the apartment’s secondary living functions above the bedrooms, allowing the northern kitchen, dining and living area to remain double height.
A generous open lounge provides an informal media space with a concealed projector and Murphy bed for occasional guests. Sliding doors on either side connect to dedicated sewing/office and library/ reading spaces, allowing these rooms to be closed independently while remaining part of the wider mezzanine.
The deep internal reveals created by the rammedearth walls and inset timber framing are used to introduce expressed timber framing and integrated shelving, turning the depth of the wall assembly into practical display and storage space. 1. 2. 3. 4.
open to below movie space w. murphy bed sewing room + office library + reading nook
SPATIAL PLAN ROOF PLAN
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HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - ACCESSORY BUILDING Scale 1/150
A single monopitch roof unifies the apartment and garage beneath one simple form, reinforcing their relationship despite the staged construction below. Its north-facing pitch provides an extensive surface for photovoltaic panels, allowing the accessory building to become the primary energy-generating structure for the wider property.
Approximately 390 m² of roof catchment also provides substantial rainwater harvesting capacity. Together, the solar array and rainwater collection allow the accessory building to operate as the primary energy and water hub for the property, reducing the need to accommodate these systems on the main residence and preserving the simplicity of its roof form.
1. metal roofing with rainwater collection 2. solar panels
exterior palette to match main home
OPEN LIVING
birch forest with wild grass + flower meadow
window seat + integrated storage
faux 'expressed' timber wall framing to interior
MEZZANINE
murphy bed
Accessory Building, Fin
The interior continues the restrained material language established across the wider project, balancing rammed earth and timber with spaces designed to feel generous despite the compact footprint. Circulation is kept to a minimum, with the stair, storage and smaller rooms used to buffer adjoining spaces rather than relying on dedicated hallways. The double-height kitchen, dining and living area forms the open heart of the apartment, connecting both levels and bringing northern light deep into the plan. More intimate
spaces can open or close around it, allowing the apartment to shift between connection and retreat as needed. Integrated seating and storage are incorporated within the timber-framed walls, while the transition from rammed earth to lighter timber framing above creates opportunities for expressed framing, shelving and display. Together, these elements allow practical requirements to become part of the architecture rather than additions to it.
NEXT STEPS
NEXT STEPS
This Concept Design package establishes the first architectural direction for the accessory building and its relationship to the wider master plan. Take some time to explore the drawings and BIMx model, moving through both levels and considering how the apartment, garage and outdoor spaces might work day to day. While the concept establishes a strong framework, there is plenty of room to test and refine the planning together. This might include flipping the kitchen and window seat to create a pass-through connection outdoors, reconsidering the living area beneath the stair, adjusting the extent of the mezzanine to increase the double-height volume, or exploring the operation and configuration of the garage doors. Once you have had some time with the design, we can meet in the studio and walk through the model together. From there, we can continue to refine the apartment planning, garage and workshop requirements, staging and wider site strategy until the design feels resolved. Once everyone is happy, we can progress into Design Development, coordinating structure and engineering alongside the main residence and beginning to resolve the building in greater technical detail.
NEXT
10
Alki Architecture + Design Studio, Preliminary Henry + Rachel Wilson
STEPS
Wilson Residence