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Architects: Koichi Takada Architects
- Area: 2000 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Tom Ferguson Photography
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Manufacturers: Miele, Subzero/Wolf, Covet, SNB Stone
Text description provided by the architects. The Waterfront Retreat is the epitome of an Australian dream home, adorned with a private beach, garden and open-plan living.
Responding the clients’ brief - a house offering sanctuary and entertainment, the Waterfront Retreat is designed to allow nature to lead, offering maximum seclusion and connection to its surrounds and outlook.
Located on a steeply sloping waterfront block, facing the vast expanse of Sydney’s Pittwater, a terraced, four level building progressively stepping towards the water & with the sites terrain. A series of floating platforms are presented as a sequence of cantilevered concrete slabs that float above a recessed stacked-stone podium. To maximise the sense of levitation, the slabs are tapered to a finer point toward the water, with the living and dining area designed to appear as a floating box.
To fully experience the sites glorious changing light throughout the day and seasons, large floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, floor-to-ceiling glazing, skylights and oversized cantilevered balconies are used to connect the owners with the surrounding outlook and nature.
Breaking down the building’s large 1600m2 footprint, interior spaces were programmed as inviting ‘pockets’ over four main levels, creating a sense of intimacy and warmth in even the largest open plan rooms. The master suite is placed on the second floor with eastern light. An additional four bedrooms positioned on the upper entry level, draw lights from the rooftop - offering warmth and access to morning sunlight.
An open-plan living area, features a showroom style kitchen and concealed preparation kitchen. Informal spaces, including a home theatre, bar, gym and casual entertaining spaces, are positioned on the lowest floor as you move closer to the beach and relaxed waterside setting. Overlooking and offering access to the garden, private beach and Pittwater is the resort style infinity pool, with an adjacent sunken lounge and fire-pit.
The Waterfront Retreat is inspired by the hues and textures of the area’s sand, bush, water and sky, the design features creamy, light-grey in-situ concrete walls, bleached European Oak and limestone flooring, soft sandstone-coloured stack stone feature walls, and ‘invisible’ floor to ceiling Vitrocsa glass. All materials are meticulously married and detailed to seamlessly connect exterior and interior spaces, to create a seamless flow, enhancing the perception of space, and to speak of the surrounding landscape.
