Island Beach House

They say the most successful plans are 99% preparation, 1% execution, and this Kangaroo Island beach house is no exception. Some would-be dreamhome-owners live onsite – in a less-than-dream home – for years before finally building up the courage (and the kitty) to realise their architectural fantasies. In doing so, they get a chance to learn the intricacies of the local topography, the seasonal weather patterns, and where to stand to get the best views.

If this is the ideal preparation for Getting To Know Your Dream Home Location, then living right next door must be the next best thing. The latter is exactly what the owners of the Island Beach House did: living in the adjoining lot for years, learning with every passing season what they did and did not like about their own home under the same conditions, and planning how best to capitalise on the perks and pitfalls of the location. Then all they had to do was track down their chosen architects and put all their reconnaissance into practice.

All this watching and waiting also gave the owners a chance to learn what they did and didn’t like about their own house under practically identical conditions. And it also meant – to the architects’ delight – that the brief was finite and detailed: a design “resolution” in every sense of the word.

A metaphor for the natural creation of an island, the form of the home incorporates a sandstone wall surrounded by lightweight construction: a ‘rock formation’ that captures the drifting sands and also acts as a reference point both inside and outside the home. Completing the island mass is a shipping container garage form which grounds the home into its transient beachside surroundings.

As with any brief, there are always some ideals that must be compromised, but some – like optimised
beach and ocean views – were essential requirements for this project. To begin with, the house is situated on
the highest point of the site, with a simple north-facing linear plan that grants breathtaking views from all living
spaces and bedrooms. Though naturally tempted to run a balcony along this northern elevation, it was
decided that an unimpeded vista from  the living area and main bedroom were, in the architects’ words, “infinitely preferable”, hence the balcony cantilevered to the northeastern corner, which not only enables immediate access to the kitchen and living areas, but also gives protection from the well-known prevailing winds, and of course, sweeping ocean views.

Another essential element of the design brief centred on natural temperature control and minimal environmental impact. Luckily then, the northern aspect also ensures good solar access during the winter months, and utilises the slope of the site to meet privacy needs as well as passive design goals. The steep slope down from the northern point means the lower level bedrooms and bathroom remain nestled in the seclusion of the scrub, safe from the public beach; while the southern side of the lower level is sheltered by an earth berm, which minimises the mass of the building and helps maintain stable temperatures. Polished concrete floors in the living areas also act as a heat sink in winter, with warmth retained by the ‘comfort plus’ glazing and the highly insulated roof, which also overhangs to shade the glass in summer. As such, there is absolutely no artificial or mechanical cooling: large sliding doors and double hung sashless windows provide adequate cross ventilation throughout the whole home.

‘Artificial’ heating is also kept to a bare minimum – a wood fire that heats the entire home – with all appliances are run on bottled gas. The house is 100% dependant on rainwater, which is collected from the roofs then stored in large underground concrete tanks, and sewage waste is also treated online via a septic system.

And of course every dream home comes with its special luxuries. In the Island Beach House, the partially subterranean spa-like main bathroom epitomises everything that is “present holiday home: future dream home” about this project. Partially embedded into the southern side of the site, the room incorporates the clients’ desire for plenty of space; a freestanding bath (which they had already chosen); ample towel storage; and a maintainable ‘clean’ look. As such, the room is divided into three sectors: the showering zone concealed by a stacked stone wall, which omits the need for a
traditional screen; the powder room zone, a streamlined space with bold, simple forms and floor-to-ceiling towel cupboards in a warm timber tone; and the bathing zone, described as a “dark, womblike space” with contrasting tiles chosen as a more practical, durable alternative to the spa-like timber floors initially envisaged. Opening out onto the soon-to-be-established greenery of the external courtyard, the bathroom retreat embodies a sense of secluded sanctuary truly befitting of a dream so long in the pipeline. +