A beach house offers a family an escape from their busy schedules, and allows them to come together for an extended period of time. But sometimes family members need a bit of time to themselves. While this isn’t always achievable with the traditional beach house, Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) has designed the Seaberg House as an antidote to forced close quarters. The result is a deconstructed interpretation of the classic beach house.

While modest in scale, Seaberg House is unusual within its built typology as a seaside dwelling that has been split into several distinct structures.

“The philosophy underpinning Seaberg is the unpacking of a house into smaller parts: a core skirted by detached outhouses,” says KTA in a design statement.

“This arrangement provides privacy and retreat from collective living areas, while the gaps between set up engaging view corridors and allow a sense of space between inhabitants, for example raucous kids and tired parents.”

At the core of the raw timber and steel house are the living areas and the main bedroom suite. Adjacent are a series of exterior outhouses. These rooms are attached via a pergola, providing both exposure and protection when moving from the inside core to the outhouses.

The house’s design incorporates a stepped interior. On the exterior, floor levels follow the natural fall of the site. This enables sea views even from the sheltered, north-facing rear. Perforated and slatted screens can be adjusted to respond to seasonal conditions, and to allow for either exposure or privacy when required. Importantly, these exterior design elements also facilitate significant cross-flow ventilation, allowing occupants to capitalise on sea breezes.

Seaberg House received an Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) at the 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards.

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