Design Brief
The north facing vacant site offered spectacular ocean and coastal views, but had some constraints that needed to be overcome in the process of designing the family holiday house and pool that the owners wanted.
Designer Peter Downes had view loss issues to consider and the strong ocean winds, as well as height and footprint limitations.
Design Solution
The new house has been designed to ensure that all rooms enjoy the views, with the emphasis on the living areas.
The angled zig-zag northern face of the new dwelling helped focus the view on the sweep of Whale Beach and added some drama to the design inside and out.
The footprint issue was addressed by locating part of the pool under the house, the storm water tank under the elevated end of the pool, part of the bottom floor under the tiled outdoor area, and by reducing the width of the private access road that traversed the site.
The view loss issue was resolved by positioning the top story in the south west corner of the new building where the neighbours' views were already significantly blocked by a large palm tree.
The primary outdoor area has been situated on the protected south side of the house which has access to the views through the lounge room providing the ideal solution to the buffeting breezes.
Consultants and Contractors
Building Designer – Peter Downes
Photographer - Michael Simmons
This article was written with the assistance of Building Designers Australia.
