This home’s stunning coastal site was the inspiration for its design.
The site is a bushy escarpment which drops dramatically towards the beach. Located on Central Queensland’s ‘Discovery Coast’, the north-facing house boasts incredible views of the Coral Sea and out towards the headland at Seventeen Seventy, the site where Captain James Cook first landed in Queensland in 1770.
Brief
The clients were looking for a home with flexible spaces suitable for large family gatherings, as well as spaces for private retreat. It was also important that the house respected the site, taking advantage of stunning coastal views while having minimal impact on the landscape. Similarly, it was important to choose appropriate materials for the site; materials which would age well and help the house blend into its coastal bushland setting.
Challenges
Protecting the site’s endemic vegetation was one of the key challenges in this project. Specifically, embedding the pavilions into the site while minimising excavation of the sand dune site was difficult. The architects made sure to position the pavilions between large trees, keeping the forms under the tree canopy.
The house also needed to be self-sufficient with rainwater collection, waste treatment and solar power.
Design response
The house has been carefully nestled into the site, designed to blend in with the landscape. It can be completely opened up, connecting it to the site through outdoor living and circulation spaces.
Features such as large bays of sliding glass doors and clerestory windows help the home integrate with the environment and take in cooling breezes.
In keeping with the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, natural textures and the authenticity of raw materials have been celebrated and allowed to weather and change over time.
Sustainability features
- The house harnesses sea breezes for effective cooling, while utilizing the sun to light spaces year-round
- Timber was used throughout: Locally-sourced hardwood, plantation-grown plywood lining, recycled Tallowood timber floors, cladding, framing and decks
- Landscaping uses low-maintenance, drought-tolerant endemic species to improve local biodiversity and negate the need for extra watering.
Key products/suppliers
- Bluescope Colorbond Spandeck Ultra 'Gully'
- Palram Twinwall Polycarbonate 'Opal'
- Kennedy's Reycled Tallowood Shiplap profile with Cutek CD50
- CSR Cemintel Barestone
- James Hardie Compressed FC
- Off form concrete
- Rockcote Smoothset Render
- Stucco Render
- Gunnersen Hoop pine plywood with Limewash finsish
- Resene 'Rice Cake'
- AWS Aluminium doors and windows 'Coastal Seabreeze'
- Breezway Altair Louvres
- Ace Stone porcelain tiles 'Sage' matt
