The architecture of our home is unfurling like a brave spring flower in a light-soaked field. As the scaffolding is taken down, the beautiful form of the building is emerging and it’s love at first sight for us. There was lots of local inspiration that helped guide our design. All the trees in this part of the world are bent in a south westerly direction from the prevailing wind, it creates a natural rhythm across the landscape. I wanted to reflect this rhythm in the roofs of the building. I also looked at referencing the vernacular building types of farm buildings, that had a collection of buildings grouped around a yard.
The sea has a huge presence here, it provides the theatre for our daily lives. The rhythm of the waves, the sailing hooker boats in the bay all came to mind when I was sketching ideas. The landscape is undulating and rocky, a solid monolith would not have worked on this site, I wanted to break down the form and massing of the building, so it appears to go with the flow of the rocky terrain and large boulders. Three pitched roofs just felt right, there is strength in this number. A building can be like a piece of sculpture, as you move around the build, it changes in appearance, the light also changes how the forms appear from different angles. I wanted the building to look like it was connected to this place, but also make the most of the views and light on offer.
At this early stage, it feels like we are succeeding with our vision, its nestled well in the terrain, even without landscaping or finishes. I will share in another post how we will achieve the clean forms with concealed gutters and cladding /window details. It’s all about the details and we are only achieving our vision with the help and guidance of expert contractors.
