Thirty years ago, the owner of this beautiful house bought a small cottage here and spent every holiday enjoying the beach location. As the family grew and grandkids came along, the cottage became too small and an architect was engaged to design a more substantial beach house, catering for multi-generational use.
Both the architect and owners wanted energy efficient windows and doors to complement the well-insulated stone walls for a comfortable indoor environment all year round. Pauline Hurren from Hurren Architects went about the design in her thoughtful approach to find the ideal solution for the client’s particular needs, reflecting site conditions, maximising outlook and views, along with considerations for the environment.
This is where Paarhammer’s Architectural Timber Range came in. Large fixed double-glazed areas were made for the beach-side of the building, which follows the high roof line and allows for the most gorgeous views. These windows needed to be sturdy and durable as they would often get battered by very strong winds and salt spray.
Double glazed doors and tilt & turn windows are featured on all other elevations. A glazed atrium opens through bi-fold doors into a sheltered internal courtyard with decking, ideal for being outdoors when the southerly blows. Comfortably out of the wind in this sun trap, one is still connected to the beach view, framed by Norfolk Island pine trees even when the double-glazed bi-fold doors are closed. These bi-fold doors feature an extra low threshold for ease of use.
All windows and doors are made from locally grown Victorian Ash timber, factory spray-painted with water-based low-VOC paint to suit the style of the building and make them maintenance-free for many years. Most of the hardware used is from Siegware Australia’s Siegenia E-Look, whose coastal surface finish conforms to the highest corrosion protection standard ‘Class 5’ lasting an extensive 1500 hours of salt spray test.
The tilting function of the tilt & turn windows means that the windows tilt in from the top like a hopper window for excellent ventilation and can be restricted to less than 125mm, making them childproof. Featuring metal-to-metal multi-point locking, after a key is used to unlock the windows, they can be opened sideways to the inside for easy cleaning. The doors are made using KFV multi-point locking with hook and pin to increase security.
Acclaimed for her work in stone and historic re-adaptation design, the award-winning architect Hurren has had experience of working with Paarhammer previously, using Paarhammer windows and doors in her other stunning projects.
Photographer: Brad Griffin
