Sorrento Beach house is a new dwelling located on Victoria’s first settlement site of 1803, on Sullivan’s Bay. The beach house begins as an austere and robust object in the landscape which begins to relax and respond to its natural environment as it approaches the water. Considering the site’s history, we thought the exterior should not be playful. It should be heavy and robust as one would wish for a ship, or pier, and somewhat austere to avoid polite domestic gestures which seemed out of place against a sombre historical context. With this in mind; a broad & very heavy timber screen wraps the building, acting as a sunscreen to an insulated concrete shell beyond whilst directly referencing local coastal structures. The house transitions between the concepts of shelter and exposure articulating privacy and the occupant’s experience of the site. Internally, the sleeping zone emphasises the thermomass concrete shell and is characterised by internal surface, punched-out windows, deep timber sills, and filtered light through external slotted timber screens.
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