The Seaford Life Saving Club was conceived by Robert Simeoni Architects as more than just a single building, but rather a community space surrounded by a collection of buildings.
The project further envisioned renewing the beach and shorefront as a community zone.
The buildings and external spaces were devised by the Robert Simeoni Architects design team as a series of landscape objects gathered around a central courtyard.
Both the internal and residual external spaces are manipulated using folding screens to control accessibility.
The screens allow the differing zones to be adaptable to purpose, depending on the time of year and the time of day.
The main entry axis focusses views to the horizon beyond the sheltered courtyard space.
There is an orchestrated and intentional overlap between inside and outside, as well as a concern for view-lines and the visual layering that becomes legible only by seeing into the spaces and beyond.
This informs the way in which the sea view is revealed to the visitor.
Materials used in the building’s construction were deliberately selected based on their durability in coastal conditions.
The use of timber throughout was also intended to draw attention to the fundamental spatial characteristics of the buildings while providing a neutral backdrop for the contrast between shadow darkness and bright beach-light.
Project Details
Project Size – 200 m2
Site Area – 1,000 m2
Completion Date – 2009
Building Levels – 2
Project Details
Architecture
Robert Simeoni Architects
Robert Simeoni Architects was established in 1996 and has developed with a reputation for carefully considered design, detail and construction. The practice has a reputation for producing high quality architecture across a variety of typologies including residential, religious, institutional, public and community buildings.
www.robertsimeoniarchitects.com
Photography
John Gollings
John has been the photographer of choice, the go-to guy for many Australian architects.
He is renowned for his ability to almost always compose the best shot, the one defining image that makes a building memorable, etches it into the psyche.
Trevor Mein
Trevor arrived at a career in photography following a decade of study and work in various design related fields. Having spent his youth in rural Victoria, Australia, he studied fashion design, before transferring to architecture at RMIT University in Melbourne.
It was the imagery and allure of the fashion world which first piqued his interest in photography. His fascination with the medium was fostered during his time at RMIT University, where he augmented his studies with photographic work for motor journals, as well as training with advertising photographers.
These insights into the world of photography awakened a passion which he felt compelled to pursue full time once he earned his degree in architecture.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Robert Simeoni Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 John Gollings and Trevor Mein. All Rights Reserved.
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