Noble House

Production : New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island

Design : Greg Noble

Description :

The canopy that crowns Noble House on NewZealand’s Great Barrier Island invites poetic comparisons,a wind-carved dune, a sea-polished shell, a gull inswooping flight, but its form was born strictly fromfunction.Designed by New Zealand architect Greg Noble, the186m2 Noble House overlooks a beach at the mouth ofa tidal estuary on the large but sparsely inhabited GreatBarrier Island. Native bush surrounds it.Despite its fantastic appearance, the canopy was aneminently practical choice for the demanding site. A PVC/PES membrane, the fabric roof is lightweight, rolls into asmall bundle for easy transportation, is able to withstandthe stresses of wind, water and salt, and allows a highlevel of diffused sunlight into the house.The membrane’s ability to tension-fit was also ofassistance in meeting the compound curves of thebuilding’s hemispherical form and as a monolithiccovering without problematic joints or openings.The most difficult part of the project with regards to themembrane structure was prefabricating the structuralsteel frame. The frame included large spans rolled to bothconstant radial curves and elliptical curves, all fabricatedto the tight tolerances necessary to ensure problem-freeassembly.

   

Link : www.gregnoble.co.nz