Oystercatcher House, Callala Beach, Modern New South Wales Home, Australian Real Estate Architecture, NSW Residence Photos
Oystercatcher House in Callala Beach
7 Sep 2022
Design: MCK Architecture & Interiors
Location: Callala Beach, New South Wales, Australia

Photos: Prue Ruscoe
Oystercatcher House, New South Wales
For some years a Sydney based family had enjoyed their holidays in a tiny pre-fabricated house on the beachfront lot, but had finally outgrown it. They wanted to improve the accommodation and take better advantage of the opportunities of the location and aspect, while retaining a relaxed, simple pattern of inhabiting the site.

The design response was to retain the open, exposed and windswept nature of the site, and to allow the envelope of the Oystercatcher House provide privacy, security and protection from the elements, literally the house as a fence. The desire for a modest and unassuming presentation to the street drove the idea of the house as an object which had weathered in place in the dunes.
The slanted roof form clad in pre-weathered spotted gum references the windswept, pared down vegetation of the foredune, and retains sunlight to a neighbouring property.

The volume of the house was punctured with courtyards, and the boundary condition carefully handled to provide a variety of spaces and atmospheres to suit the constantly changing conditions. Large openable timber screens allow simple modulation of light and shade, privacy and access.

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