Japanese design influences meet rugged coastal surroundings in this stunning family home in the seaside suburb of Dudley.
When the clients – a family of four – hired Incident Architecture to design their dream home, the brief was to create an industrial container-style building that would hover above the landscape to maximize interaction with the ocean views.
The house was named Surf Check House as a nod to its owner’s passion for surfing, and it was almost destined that the family would end up in this very location.
“He is an avid surfer, and would always visit this site to check the local surf conditions before heading to the beach,” says architect Matt Elkann.
Over the course of three and a half years, the vacant site was transformed into the stunning structure we see today – with an open-plan design that seamlessly connects the main living areas with the outdoors. Standing on the covered deck overlooking the water and jungle, you’ll feel as if the ocean is at your fingertips!
While all the timber used is Australian hardwood, Matt says the design was heavily influenced by Japanese timber detailing. Other design inspirations include St Andrews Beach House by Vander Katsalidis and Sean Goodsell’s Coastal House – both projects on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula that feature cube frames and exposed timber, including timber louvers for ventilation in the summer.
Passive cooling is also achieved in the home thanks to cross ventilation in all rooms from multiple directions, creating a lovely ocean breeze in the warmer months. In the winter, three high pop-up roofs allow natural light to flood throughout the home.
Matt explains how the design required a “simple shape with complex openings” in order to adapt to changing weather conditions. The coastal environment also meant that it was necessary to consider corrosion resistance in every element of the building.
“The result is a home that looks rich, but not expensive,” he adds.
“We love the fact that the house creates an inner world for its residents. From the outside, the house looks calm, serene and simple. From the inside, the house looks rich and warm.”
Thanks to the busy life between Newcastle and Sydney, the owners now have a quiet space to hide away and enjoy a certain separation from the outside world while communing with nature. The thoughtful design of the house allows for the possibility of waking up to the sunrise over the water from the east deck, or finding rest in the cooler, more private parts of the house as the day progresses.
“There’s a nice dialogue between possibility and refuge,” Matt says.
