Architecture studio Woods Bagot has completed the latest stage of a weathered seaside house in Australia that has been 20 years in the making.
Designed as a home for Woods Bagot CEO Nik Karalis, the St Andrews Beach Villa began in 1999 as a simple shack on Mornington Peninsula.

Over the years it has gradually evolved into what is now a five-bedroom villa with a pool, cabana, glasshouse and full-width deck.
"Longevity of design in historic houses is not unusual ? many European villas took 10-30 years to build," Karalis told Dezeen.
"In our case, it was a combination of increasing family needs and also a detailed understanding of place and context."

Over time St Andrews Beach Villa has been adapted and altered to deal with its challenging site. The peninsula is subject to intense winds, constantly shifting sand-dunes and a high concentration of salt in the atmosphere, which speeds up the corrosion of materials.

"The project could not be transported anywhere else in the world," said Karalis.
"It is a building intensely sensitive to place, recognised most importantly by the locals and the surf community."

St Andrews Beach Villa is a simple steel box raised on supports with a panoramic living space facing south-west towards the sea.
A 25 metre-wide stepped deck is cut through by a passage that leads into the undercroft, slotted below to provides a more intimate, sheltered space.

The villa's entrance sits on its sheltered rear facade...