PROJECT BRIEF

The clients were approaching the end of their working career and wanted to modify their two ageing duplex units into a contemporary family beach house for their retirement.

Their two storey units were constructed in the early 1970’s on a high sand hill with some rather spectacular views to the coast and the hinterland to the west. The site is quite steep falling diagonally across the property at 22%.

The clients brief was to update the image of the building to that of a contemporary beach house that had just the hint of the Tuscan style. It was required to have a total of 4 bedrooms, an observation deck, drinks bar and open planning. The lower level unit was to be moderately modified to enlarge the bedrooms and incorporate a walk-in-robe. There was also a need to integrate this once lower unit into the new family home.

The existing carports were inadequate and required to be enlarged and capable to be secured. Last but not least, the finished design needed to incorporate a generous amount of outdoor entertainment decks and roof terrace that took advantage of all the views.

Before Renovation

After Renovation

RESOLUTIONS

One of the major issues in the design of alterations and additions is to fulfil the requirements and needs of the client. The budget constraint is a major consideration, however, to achieve a design that avoids the finished building being recognised, even under close scrutiny, as being a retro-fit is always the goal of the building designer. To achieve a dramatic transformation of the building form that contributes to the amenity of community is indeed the challenge.

Naturally it was important to work with the existing structure; however, the existing floors were constructed in reinforced concrete. This made it difficult to change the footprint of the building. Furthermore, a geotechnical investigation found that the foundations had a low bearing capacity. This required all the new work to be of lightweight construction.

Careful consideration of how to discreetly incorporate an existing reinforced concrete balcony into the design was achieved by enclosing it in glass and creating a dining alcove. This created a much needed space for a large dining table that was to be part of the furnishing.

The existing duplex had two sub-standard entrances that was not clearly defined and prove to be difficult for the visitor to distinguish. In addition, the foyers were cramped and inadequate. This was overcome by careful attention to pedestrian circulation and hard landscaping solutions externally. Due to the amalgamation of the duplex, focus was given to one entry only. Internally, the foyer was given a soft curving wall to visually open up the space and give it a sense of entry as well as interest.

The existing building consisted of several add-on structures that were constructed over a period of time and external walls consisting of blockwork, face brick, aluminium siding and weatherboard contributed to the chaos of the unplanned appearence. To achieve a better balance to the building a simplified palete of materials was introduced. The base of the building was stripped of its aluminium siding and together with the face brick and blockwork was rendered and painted. The upper portion of the building was clad with plywood and weatherboards to give a lightweight feel to the residence and to refocus the attention away from the height of the structure.

The design brief required the addition of a covered observation deck/roof terrace. The local authority planning scheme required that all new additions be constructed within a height limit of 8M. This was achieved by the use of a thin, long-spanning curved roofing material by Ritek Building Systems that was only 100mm thick overall. It too had a soft curve that reinforced the use of curves in the foyer and the lower entertainment deck. The use of such a thin, lightweight roof allowed it to seemingly float over the roof terrace creating a dramatic and stunning effect that adds lightness to the building form.

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	BDAA 2002 NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS


	RESIDENTIAL RENOVATIONS + ADDITIONS MORE THAN $75,000
	"WILSON RESIDENCE" : PROJECT BRIEF + SOLUTIONS