Whale Beach House

2009 AIA NSW Chapter Wilkinson Award
2009 AIA National Architecture Award

The house is located in the south-east fold of a steep, thickly vegetated hillside, below a towering escarpment, looking out along the beach. It is a multi-generational family weekender organised over three levels that terrace with the slope – children and grandparents on the lower level, main living areas on the mid level and parents ‘secret cabin’ up on top. The siting of the house is derived from a pragmatic mapping of adjacent building alignments, neighbour’s viewlines, required setbacks, and true north. These invisible lines establish the oblique geometries that characterise the plan. The project explores proximity and distance, invoking the special dualities of the site – the rock outcrops and native forest behind are given equal consideration to the front coastal panorama. Each room is considered almost autonomously, coordinated with site and view. Outdoor living spaces at each level are equally varied – house and landscape are integral.

Featured in:
Indian Architect & Builder vol.28 no.8
Houses Issue 81
Grazia Issue 70
Architecture Australia vol.98 no.6
The Australian Financial Review Magazine, 2009
Monument: Australian Residential Special Issue 93
Hise Issue 55
Arch Daily, 2009
Life & Leisure Luxury Issue 8
Australian Timber Design Awards 2009
Architecture Bulletin: Awards 2009
Luxury Home Design: 30 Luxury Homes vol.12 no.5
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2009
Abundant Australia Venice Biennale catalogue 2008