Builder: Bangalley Building
Engineer: Peninsula Consulting Engineers
Photography: Donna Johnston Photography
The project has dual functions, one of being ‘home’ a place of peace, tranquillity, submersion & retreat, and the other having strong social connection with a very unique street community.
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Located on a leafy, ‘social’ street in Avalon on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, this project has been built in stages over a number of years. Our client is a crafted builder with a successful construction company building, with talented carpenters and tradesmen.
They wanted to make the most of this property, right to its boundaries with the open planned family home sitting centre. The old fibro garage was removed to become a beautiful structure to be used as a multi-use room, and new entertaining area with pool & landscaping pulls it all together.
Showcasing the skill & capability of the carpentry team, the multi-use room is designed like a delicate street lantern. The timber batten structure can open, close or filter, depending on the mood and use of the occupants, or the social family street life. The space can be used as a gathering space with street friends, or a family room, an office, a studio, it can accommodate overnight guests, or the car…
A striking structural skillion roof hovers over the battened walls. It is immaculately designed, detailed & constructed in every aspect. Using locally sourced hardwood (spotted gum) the structure reflects upon the endemic tree canopy unique to this beachside town. By day or by night the structure is captivatingly beautiful.
The family also really wanted a pool, but they didn’t have the space nor any access for excavation or construction…so we designed them a lagoon!
The unique concrete form morphs from a deep circular pool into a wading beach / sitting area, to a sunbathing space, a fire pit, and BBQ.
It is a clever fluid form, a beautifully composed creative sculpture, and absolutely functional in respect to the brief. It transforms what was the left over corner of the block, into an all-in-one entertaining piece.
Besides logistics & economics given its poor accessibility, the raising of the pool level creates a closer spatial interaction, an intimate focal point from inside the house. It also effectively creates a sunken lounge room surrounded by a serene setting of lagoon integrated within a tropical landscaped garden. With large timber windows sliding away it feels completely connected & encompassing. Environmentally, breezes cross the surface of the water & provide natural cooling to the entire home.
