Tidal Arc House
Eschewing the colonial planning grid and repetition of the local timber clad cottage in favor of sensitivity to the topographical context, Woods Bagot has departed from the prevailing Australian beach house vernacular with a self-assured, three-story dwelling named for its distinctive curved form mimicking the massive water movement of the Southern Ocean. The house deals with two scales; one in balance to the overall majestic coastal landscape and the other at a more intimate and tactile interior level of material and spatial contrast.
Photography: Trevor Mein
The placement of the house was the focus of the design. Every decision stemmed from the specifics of the site, the complexity of its adjoining neighbors, restrictions of existing covenants and the influence of the changing patterns of the lunar tidal motions. The applied height controls of the house follow the contours of the cliff, with Flinders Pier and associated marine activities at the cliff base. There are no parallel curves on the project and no right angles. The geometry is as dynamic as the weather and tidal movement are unpredictable. The house tears itself apart across the horizontal plane. This fracture creates two curved volumes precariously stacked on top of each other, like sheared basaltic plates. Photography: Trevor Mein
This gymnastic torquing allows full exposure of coastal views from the upper level and settles the lower guest bedroom plate into the landscape from which emerges a la...