This project was a genuine opportunity to blur all lines between a sculptural building, a designed landscape and the broad topography of a coastal dune system. Our clients were unflinching in their commitment to a purely indigenous plant palette. The ‘House on the Coast’ is embedded in the side of a steep dune, requiring extensive excavation and disturbance to existing vegetation and soil during the build. Our brief was to heal the wound and re-habilitate the site, allowing the building to interact with Nature as it was designed to do. One wing of the L shaped house is nestled on the contour while the other cantilevers over the landscape, creating a sheltered habitat for regeneration. Here, grassed voids meander around ‘islands’ of existing coastal vegetation restored with new plantings. Mulched paths drift into places for camping, a fire pit and bush trampolining. The house is designed to respond to environmental rhythms as it opens and breathes in or closes and protects from the elements.
Building and swimming-pool precinct by Sean Godsell Architects.
