The long-loved Australian holiday shack is in danger of being usurped by suburban ugliness as bloated mansions and carports take over Victoria’s rugged coastline. But Andrew Maynard Architects is reinventing the shack with in Anglesea beach house, albeit without adopting shack typology.
The brief demanded “much more room” for the aging family holiday home. So Andrew Maynard Architects surrounded the building with finely-crafted timber boxes, replacing an old timber deck that previously divided the two storeys and darkened the living area.
A ”thick deck” is created on top of the boxes, which acts as a verandah, while the spaces within this timber box to the north can be opened up entirely to the surrounding bush block.
The bright red and green finishes at ground level, combined with the outdoor shower, green mesh walkways and tennis netting throughout the house, allow the holiday house with a playful, leisurely and carefree flavour.
To the eastern side of the house, other newly-introduced structures nestle under the existing carport providing much needed external storage space and a children’s bunk retreat.
A spotted gum deck surrounds the new footprint. The grainy, brown tone of the hardwood (also used on the cladding of the structures) allows the extensions to merge with the surrounding eucalypts and tussock grass. These additions reach out into the landscape, connecting the house to its site.
Throughout the day, the timber is harmonious with its surroundings, while at night the internal lights amplify the bold colour scheme, giving the structure an almost synthetic and rendered image.
Elements have to perform multiple functions — the day bed serves as a recreational seat, a play platform for the kids, a jungle gym access point out to the trampoline and sandpit, a storage space and a private bed.
Overall the design produces a multi-generational holiday house. The versatility of the spaces allows them to be inhabited simultaneously by all members of the extended family. The larger open spaces suited to adult entertaining also contain small nooks and areas attractive to younger generations. The design is rigorously addressed at different scales, allowing there to be a certain level of connection and interaction throughout whilst also providing smaller zones, or havens, where solace can be found.
