Weekend House at St Andrew’s Beach
Architects: Sean Godsell Architects, Melbourne
Assistant: Hayley Franklin
Structural engineer: Felicetti, Melbourne
St Andrew’s Beach on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is one of the few places in Australia where you can build right by the shore. This elevated weekend house enjoys superb views of the ocean and the surrounding landscape. The clients wanted a retreat where they could get back in touch with nature, with the wind and the weather, after a week in the city working in air-conditioned offices at a constant 22°C.
The transparent building skin, made of pre-oxidised steel grating, serves only to shade the large continuous deck within. Placed upon this deck are two separate cells — one containing the lounge/dining area, the other three bedrooms and a workroom.
When moving from one room to another, the occupants are exposed to the elements, and in summer and winter to extreme temperatures.
The steel skeleton is slung between two pairs of columns; room-high diagonal struts provide longitudinal bracing. In the living area transparent thermal insulation fitted below the corrugated GRP roof enables -diffuse light to penetrate into the interior. On the west side glass doors open up the living area to the veranda.
The bedrooms are darker and more enclosed. The brown of the oxidized steel and the wooden floors creates a homogeneous impression.
This article is an excerpt from DETAIL — Review of Architecture
DETAIL is the international magazine dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in architectural design and engineering. Every issue covers a specific construction topic, illustrated contemporary examples and carefully chosen documented material from architects and trade experts — providing architects and engineers with an invaluable source for design and construction ideas.
From 2009 DETAIL is complemented by two additional issues DETAIL Green — the specialist journal on all aspects of sustainable planning and construction.
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