HOUSES MAGAZINE, ISSUE 25, 2001.
"HEADLAND HIDEAWAY"
Inserting a building into a natural paradise is always a delicate exercise. Patrick Nicholas hit all the right notes in this remarkable coastal dwelling, tucked away in the middle of a national park north of Newcastle.
The idyllic location called for a particular response - to adopt a respectful and sensitive approach to the landscape itself, and to design a building that would, in some way, live up to the sense of majesty and drama promoted by the surrounds.
A series of plateaus, bridges and pavilions comprises the building's formal strategy. The nature of the site itself suggested this logic: an arrival plateau holds back the sand and acts as an anchor, thereby enabling the main body of the building to stretch out over the sloping terrain.
The site is on a headland, with views of bushland and quiet beaches stretching out to the horizon. In summer, the wind whips up from the north-east so the building has been designed to offer refuge on its south side in the form of a pergola and landscaped outdoor areas. Th pool, the balconies and linking bridges are orientated to the north to take in the panorama and maximise light gain to the main living areas.
Underpinning the organisation of living spaces is a network of bridges, walkways and stairs. These conduits invite movement and exploration, revealing and framing the beauty of the surrounds in a variety of ways.
The client requested a building that would serve as a holiday house, and one day become the principle residence. Privacy was an important consideration, especially on one boundary where a neighbouring development is planned. In response, Patrick Nicholas has positioned a series of hardwood screens. Closer to the house, the steel pergola running along the entry path will soon be covered in foliage to provide additional privacy. At present, it lends a sense of structural drama to the arrival point.
In keeping with the raw beauty of the surrounding wilderness, the building has a rough textured skin of clear oiled western red cedar shingles, copper nailed to ecoply sheeting. This will weather gracefully: a low-maintenance solution for this place of retreat and relaxation. Hardwood decks and exterior walkways lead through to spotted gum floors in the living and sleeping areas, while generous stretches of glazing maintain a light, airy ambience.
By contrast, the black lap pool is "a moody compelling slab of reflection", to use the architect's words. The way it is positioned in relation to the house maximises its dramatic effect - half of it is embedded within the house, the other half strikes out like a springboard towards the horizon. The client enjoys watching the reflections of clouds drift across the pool's inky surface.
Externally, the curved roofing affords the building a distinctive profile, in tune with the gentle rolling forms of the landscape. The roof edits the ever-changing light and climate, protecting or exposing where required. "The southern barrel vaults blow back to accept northern light to the south wall of the dining and study", explains Patrick. "Bull-nose skillions pitch forward to shelter the north-facing enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces."
On the western side of the building, rainwater tanks frame the view from the dining room. Here, and on the southern blades, a secondary skin of splitface blockwork protects the building from the elements. The blocks are connected, via stainless steel brick ties, to the primary frame.
As the site comprises six metres of sand on a rock substrate - the most active environment according to the Newcastle Earthquake Code - bracing and anchoring the building was a primary concern. "One hundred and sixty three screw piles touch the rock, and strip footings hold the pedestal columns which anchor the pre-fabricated galvanised frame", says the architect.
Interior spaces are restrained, yet casual and welcoming. Murowash 'Sandollar' on the walls and ceilings harmonises with the polished spotted gum floors. The architect designed some of the furnishings, notably the main bed which is made from tallowwood wharf posts. The main bedroom and en suite enjoy magnificent beach views, and link directly to a balcony that wraps around this eastern end of the house. Recessed under the roof, adjacent to the bedroom is a tiled terrace comfortably furnished with outdoor lounges. In the other pavilion, the main living area features a series of tall blades down one side, framing cupboards and sections of glazing. The undersides of the complex roof forms are highly visible from this living area, and contribute to the distinctive character of the interior.
This remarkable hideaway results from a combination of the architect's youthful brio, and what he describes as a "great" builder and engineer, and the "perfect" client. To sum up the experience of being in the house, he suggests these lines from Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space. "The house shelters day dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace."
- Julie Oliver
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