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Architects: Atelier Chen Hung
- Area: 180 m²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:James Hung
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Manufacturers: GRAPHISOFT, AWS, Ampelite, Boral, Cemintel, Laminex
Text description provided by the architects. Positioned amongst the ridge of an undulating coastal terrain in Ocean Shores, a site with long reaching sea views is where a young couple with two kids settles to build their home. The brief of the house is to take advantage of the primary prospects of the site, and to accommodate a modest and functional program for the family. The site falls steeply towards a lush vegetated backyard, facing a busy motorway. In response to this inherent condition, the house is placed near the top of the site in an effort to retain existing trees and its natural outlook.
A decked semi-outdoor space has been woven into the length of the plan, connecting a series of rooms. On a daily basis, the occupants will experience the changing environmental conditions when they move from one room to another. This lofty volume invites natural light from above, integrating high-level vents to employ passive stack ventilation. A tall solid acoustic back wall is designed to dampen the noise impact from the motorway. The semi-outdoor space facilitates multiple functions, serving simultaneously as circulation, dining, laundry and bathhouse. Kitchen and living areas are arranged as individual rooms separated by a decked dining space in between, where a large opening slider frames the North Easterly ocean view and doubles as the main entry to the house.
An active street-fronting lawn offers direct connection to the quiet suburban street, with the ground plane allowing easy transition from the interior to the exterior. A linear roofline ascends toward the South East to inset an upper level breakout/reading space, affording a glimpse of the Byron Bay Lighthouse. At the opposite end of the house, the carport incorporates a large opening to frame a view to Mount Chincogan to the West. The muted palette of the fiber cement cladding enables the house to recede into the surrounding landscape, while achieving a durable and low maintenance external enclosure. In contrast, the warmth of the interior comes through from the tactility and texture of the strandboard lining. The materials are primarily selected to demarcate indoor and outdoor spaces, adding to the dynamic daily experience of living in the house.
