Our clients wanted a house that felt like a beach house. Byron is a special place, it’s relaxed, there is never a sense of urgency about anything. They wanted a house that reflected and promoted this but also presented a sense of refinement. They wanted a strong connection to its unique environment with the house being very much a part of it not shunning it or turning away from it.
The property fronts onto Belongil Beach, Byron Bay. It sits on the dune that separates the ocean from the road. A littoral rainforest bounds the property on the beach side. This makes this environment incredibly sensitive. The design had to be very carefully controlled to ensure there was no effect on the delicate forest.
Our response to the client’s brief was to create a building that opens up to this environment but also protects you from it when necessary. Byron’s climate played a key role in how the house is experienced. Essentially, the house is a series of pavilions that hold specific program with the spaces in between become both the connection between the spaces and general convivial spaces of the house. There are basically no corridors, when moving from one space to another the idea is to feel like you are outside. The mood of the house was to be relaxed but refined. Not pretentious or precious but comfortable and accessible. A refuge from the environment but also a connection to it. Material selection was very important to achieve this.
The material palette in this house was very deliberate. There were competing elements which we wanted to harness together. On the one hand, the house had to be warm, familiar, textural, tactile and comfortable. On the other, maintenance in that environment is big concern so materials needed to be incredibly tough and resilient. The result was using a combination of materials some of which providing the longevity while others provided a softer balance. We used porcelain sheets to clad the entirety of the house both inside and outside. This gave the exterior of the building facing the harshest weather elements an impenetrable façade. But we introduced timber to balance the impermeability of porcelain. Timber allows the house to age, the intent is to allow it to grey overtime meaning maintenance is less of an issue and reduces the chances of creating a sterile building that looks frozen in time. We like it when our buildings age. When designed well, a building’s age can add another layer to its appeal.
