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Architects: Third Skin
- Area: 240 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:Robert Hamer Photography
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Manufacturers: Arvio, Australian Reclaimed Timbers, Biowood, Habitech, Versiclad
Text description provided by the architects. This project on the Mornington foreshore creates two double storey houses on a lot facing Mills Beach and bordering the mouth of Tanti Creek.
Situated near Melbourne in the Victorian town of Mornington, the brief to design two beach houses was primarily driven by the opportunity to create living spaces with extensive northern views over Port Phillip Bay, and both the opportunities and limitations of its creek side location. One house has been designed for our clients to live in, with the second house being offered for sale upon completion.
The town planning process for the project has been long and arduous, with our desire to garage cars in under a new two storey building form not ending up to be possible due to potential flood levels. Once this constraint was confirmed through a number of authorities, it led us to the approach of grounding the building on a pier structure that highlights its unique creek-side location.
The design seeks to use a palette of materials appropriate to its coastal location and surrounds, integrating an indigenous coastal landscape to create a building with sensitivity to its location. The design seeks to bring foreshore pier proportions and detailing across the road and contribute to the public realm in the way it interacts with the creek mouth.
Western House
The western, creek side house creates a depth of form in the northern facade, with windows and a sitting deck set within a surrounding eave form of faceted timber angling back into the building. The house is entered from a separate walkway from the street, with a front door under the shelter of the overhanging upper level.
The lower level of the house provides a generous garage with storage, built in weatherboard construction as a non-conditioned area. Habitech wall panels insulate the garages from lower level entry/rumpus, two bedrooms, bathroom and laundry.
The upper level of the house provides living areas centred on a protected inner courtyard deck, with living, dining, kitchen, study spaces opening onto it. The upper level also contains a powder room and main bedroom with dressing and ensuite facilities.
The internal courtyard provides access to morning sun, wind sheltered outdoor space options, and can be opened up in in conjunction with northern windows and deck doors in fine weather to create a dynamic 'living platform' with views out over Port Phillip Bay.
Eastern House
The eastern house presents an open, transparent faceted eave form to the street, setback behind a large deck overlooking the water. The house is approached directly from the driveway crossing, which carries onto a decked walkway to the front door.
The lower level of the house provides a double garage, entry, rumpus room, two bedrooms, bathroom and laundry. A timber-battened stairwell leads up to living, dining and kitchen areas connecting out to the northern deck, with a study niche being fitted into the top of the stair. The main bedroom, dressing and ensuite are then zoned to the south of the upper level, looking back up Tanti Creek.
Material Used: Habitech Wall Panel System
Habitech is an Australian modular design and building system that creates modern, super strong and highly insulated homes. Offering full design flexibility, Habitech homes are not only much faster to build, but offer a much more sustainable way for you to design and build your future in a low energy, high-performance home.
Habitech has developed an innovative system of high-quality manufactured building components that are delivered to site in a flat-pack format. These then fit together to get a house to lock-up (weathertight and secure) in a matter of weeks, not months.
Habitech’s structurally integrated panels (SIPs) are fully load bearing, deliver R4.3 insulation and air-sealing that is guaranteed to work and, uniquely, delivers the full cladding of the building as part of the panel installation.
