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Architects: BE Architecture
- Area: 500 m²
- Year: 2019
- Photographs: Andy McPherson
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Caesarstone, Havwoods, Signorino, Ventech, Don Currie Carpets, Market Timbers
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Lead Architects: Andrew Piva, Broderick Ely, Jon Boucher
Text description provided by the architects. The Mermaid Beach Residence is a new family home positioned along a surf beach in Queensland. Working with clients with a strong appreciation of concrete, the building was designed primarily of exposed concrete internally, as well as externally, with the addition of operable timber shutters on the external windows.
The architecture of the Mermaid Beach signifies permanence; a desire to stay and age, a dialogue between architecture and the intrinsic human desire and emotional need for permanence, or in other words; to put down roots.
In contrast, the house itself is situated atop something that is impermanent, the beach; a place of erosion and movement. The region the residence is located in means that it has to contend with cyclonic winds and thunderstorms, as well as penetrating sunlight.
This meant that the architecture had to speak to these fundamental considerations by means of providing privacy and protection from the often volatile weather conditions, while simultaneously being the opposite; a relaxed, open, sun-drenched family home that opens out directly on the beach.
The materiality and architectural plan of the project is a result of these conversations, in harmony with the clients need for a timeless, functional family home.
