Bellarine Beach House
Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria
By reimagining the existing house and its possibilities for re-use, the amount of new areas were kept to a minimum in achieving improved zoning, orientation and connections to landscape. Play of ceiling heights and natural materials combine with existing block to create intimate spaces around a central courtyard.
These are balances with the higher living spaces at the rear which connect to both courtyard and northern garden. Abundant storage ensures this is a house that minimises clutter and can be packed and unpacked when desired.
A new northerly living pavilion totally immerses you within the established garden spaces.
Anna Dutton, Project Architect
The Bellarine Beach House project is the transformation of a plain early 1980s concrete block house into a contemporary and elegant beachside retreat that connects with its landscape setting. Our client was after low maintenance, calm, fresh spaces without clutter and that avoided a cute or cottage aesthetic. Of high importance was creating a greater visual and physical connection from inside to outside and embracing the beautiful and underutilised northerly oriented rear garden.
A natural material palette introduces warmth to the house, with large expanses of sustainably sourced timber complementing and offsetting the existing blockwork.
Re-use became a focus rather than re-building and almost the entire existing house was kept thus reducing the environmental footprint of the project. The original layout was re-imagined with a master bedroom addition at the front and new rear living space at the rear. Clear zoning was introduced for living, sleeping and parents retreat.
Orientation was improved to embrace the garden and northerly aspect and new carefully placed windows create natural cross ventilation. A high level openable window at the entry captures a view to the sky upon entry and creates a chimney stack effect for rapid airing of the entire house when desired. The entry experience and the flow of spaces offer long light filled vistas though the house and to the landscape. The play of ceiling heights and textures throughout the house create more intimate moments with framed views of the garden and small touches to make spaces unique and special.
