PR House is a new two-storey beach house designed by Architects Ink from Adelaide, Australia.
With a bold architectural form and strong textures, it replaces the clients’ dilapidated 1960s shack.
Architects Ink’s client wanted to maintain a ‘shack’ feel in the new design with the use of natural, hardy, and low-maintenance materials.
Two dominant double-height insitu concrete walls to the north and south have a textural experience that changes with the path of the sun throughout the day, both internally and externally.
Natural timber decking and external cladding to the front and rear facades softens the concrete.
Raw finish white mahogany will silver at different rates over time depending on the exposure to sun and rain.
The decking has turned grey already while the lining to the entry threshold has retained its warmth.
The house has a simple, square footprint with a deep balcony to the entire length of the street-front elevation to maximise outdoor space and beach views.
The balcony doubles as the upstairs kids’ playground.
Internally the finishes reflect the clients’ passion for mid-century design.
Oak joinery and floorboards create a warm, homely atmosphere.
Dark navy carpeted bedrooms deliver a striking contrast.
A central free-form sandstone wall and fireplace anchors the two levels through the stairwell and compliments their large collection of retro furniture.
The double height void creates a connection with the downstairs play area and provides a view from the upstairs lounge to the front door.
A retro-inspired custom designed balustrade features both internally and externally.
An oversized timber pivot door to the southern side acts as a ‘gate’ to the main entrance within a low-level portico.
When the pivot door is open, it indicates to guests that the owners are home.
It remains closed at other times, concealing the entry entirely, and providing additional security.
Two local and two Adelaide-based builders tendered.
The winning Adelaide-based builder won largely because of their innovative and cost-effective solution for achieving the desired insitu-concrete texture.
Working closely with Architects Ink to test various techniques, the level of detail was achieved to enhance the timber grain. The southern wall was poured first and the boards reused for the northern wall, which surprisingly yielded the most interesting textures.
The use of natural materials and timber-grain concrete, as well as maintaining the existing stone fence and significant palm tree, assisted in compliance of the design in a heritage zone.
The deep balcony and overhang provides sun protection to the west oriented main living area and louvre blinds to north facing windows assist solar control.
As a weekender home, ceiling fans were favoured in most rooms. Air conditioning is rarely used due to effective cross-ventilation with full height glass sliding doors.
The combination of raw timber and insitu-concrete are low maintenance and provide longevity.
This unique beach house is feels very much like a home for the young family of four, who travel from their Adelaide base as often as they possibly can.
Project Details
Project size – 340 m2
Completion date – 2017
Building levels – 2
Project Team
Architecture and Interior Design
Architects Ink
Architects Ink is an award winning Architecture and Interior Design practice established in 1996 with offices in Adelaide and Sydney, Australia.
Led by three directors in Adelaide, architects Marco Spinelli, Tony Lippis, and Mladen Zujic, and in Sydney, architect Pierre Della Putta.
The practice specializes in high quality residential design; new houses, alterations and additions, and multi-residential projects.
Photography
Rachel Winton
Rachel is a well-established commercial photographer based in Melbourne. Her work focuses on architecture, interiors, and product photography.
www.rachelwintonphotography.com.au
Sam Noonan
Sam Noonan is a specialist architectural and interiors photographer based in Australia. With 30+ years of professional experience, he strives to create considered, relevant, and beautiful images.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Architects Ink. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Rachel Winton and Sam Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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