The client’s brief for a small but generous feeling house that they could get away to and enjoy the beautiful bush that surrounded them. This was achieved through simple design moves, resolving multiple requirements with a simple plan layout. The use of natural materials is intended to weather over time, while the landscape grows and regenerates around it.

The result is a beautiful small house that, as it ages, becomes more recessive in its beautiful bush site.

Residential Architecture – Houses New Award

Jury Citation

“Spring Beach House is a comfortable and unfussy coastal dwelling that embodies the idea of doing more with less. Its simple architecture and gabled roof feel both designed and at home with the surrounding ‘shacky’ shacks. Lightly elevated within the scrub, it sits in the landscape with ease, its silvering timber and Zincalume roof helping it to belong.

The planning is compact and highly resolved within a 100 square-metre footprint. A small vestibule mediates arrival before opening to a vaulted living space, drawing in light, sky and distant views into living areas. Bedrooms and bathrooms are arranged to provide privacy and flexibility for two families at once, while other nooks cleverly provide opportunities for small children and guests.

Material choices are robust and purposeful, selected to age gracefully and minimise impact. Standard timber construction and careful detailing respond intelligently to budget and remoteness, reducing complexity without sacrificing quality.

The house offers warmth, comfort and moments of delight, from inviting window seats to a playful mezzanine. Even on a cold and rainy day, it felt sunny inside the Spring Beach House, and the jury commends the resolution and effort that makes this simple project so special.”

Commendation for Sustainable Architecture

“Small in footprint and restrained in approach, Spring Beach House is doing the good things right when it comes to low-impact housing designed to last. Simple, hardwearing materials are used only as required, with thought given to minimising embodied energy and consideration of end-of-life disassembly. Passive thermal performance, simple, easy to maintain design, and a reduced reliance on applied finishes contribute to its longevity and sensibility. It is a modest yet rigorous example of a family beach shack which will be a comfortable, liveable and joyful retreat for decades to come.”