Portsea Beach House

Portsea Beach House is a new dwelling and landscape project on a large undulating site, purposefully designed for a family of 5 as a coastal retreat from their urban lives.

Initially arriving at this beautiful property, there was a natural desire to traverse a gentle slope, through Moonah’s and Tea Trees to a sunlit plateau with stunning views across Portsea and the bay. This spot, the site’s highlight, became our north lawn.

On the lawn’s edge, we placed the main living spaces and master bedroom, under an in-situ concrete pavilion. The pavilion becomes a new focal point in the landscape. It opens completely on both sides, merging indoor and outdoor spaces with the surrounding nature and capturing sea breeze and sunlight at all times of the day.

A timber clad “L” shaped wing contains the bedrooms and amenities and creates a clear zoning between parents and kids. This element lines the south-east corner of the site allowing landscape and light to flow in and surround the central pavilion.

The material palette responds directly to our client brief for a beachy feel, and centres on washed out timbers and natural hues, with subtle changes across the elements. The pavilion connects with the outdoors in the way of sun-bleached timber and native planting, using creamy whites, washed out greys, and grey greens. In the bedroom wing a subtle tonal shift occurs as internal timber surfaces, carpet and fabrics become warmer, creating comforting spaces for personal retreat, with an emphasis on surface and enclosure.

The landscape terraces down from the north lawn to a substantial swimming-pool, and further down to a tennis court, all connected by solid granite steppers cut from a local quarry. Swathes of native grasses embrace indoor and outdoor spaces, defining connections across the site and creating a soft base for architectural forms.

The in-situ concrete roof has a powerful presence on the site and is born directly from our client’s wish for unimpeded views. The strength of the concrete interacts beautifully with the rawness of the native landscape and presents a counterpoint to a soft natural palette within. Internally, almost every surface is detailed in timber joinery and natural fabrics, with a richness of detail and tactile surfaces in every room.