Surfcoast Retreat

The family had previously enjoyed many years at the site in a small fibro shack. It is a dramatic site on a very steep slope with aspect through the trees to the southern ocean. As the shack had no real relationship with the external environment, much of their time and their fondest memories were of the time they sat in the evenings around the fire pit outside and got to enjoy the birdlife and beauty that surrounded them.

This provision of a fire pit and communal gathering area became a pivotal requirement of their brief – and it is expressed by the curving quadrant of glass cut into the main form. Natural material and colours became an essential component of the fabric and carries the interiors out into the eucalyptus woodland outside. Composed over two levels, the lower level has separate external access and can be isolated from the upper level internally, providing great flexibility in the use of the house by different family groups.