This design holiday home is a home extension to an existing 1960s log cabin located on the Blairgowrie shore in Australia. Moonah's surrounding coastal forest hides a suburban density of houses and a network of winding streets free of formed curbs, gutters and footpaths. Many of the houses in this area are holiday homes and there is intensive development in this direction. In this context, the clients commissioned the architectural firm to design a new, self-contained refuge. The homeowners wanted to enable longer visits by family members and guests to the existing holiday cabin. The concept was to separate the new addition from the existing log cabin so that new and old could maintain and express their individual identities.
Design holiday home – combine old with new
The existing building has two bedrooms, a bunk room, living area, kitchen and bathroom.There modern Bungalowoffers a new bedroom and en-suite bathroom on the mezzanine, a living area on the ground floor, a kitchenette and a hidden study, as well as an additional, north-facing terrace.
The new architecture is shaped by the landscape and embedded in the natural forms of the surrounding area. The pitched roof grows out of the topography and acts as a new type of landform. The bituminous concrete coating and its supporting prefabricated framework appear to be influenced by the prevailing wind forces that shape the surrounding distorted moonah trees.
The roof directly reflects the internal volume and layout, under which the stairs lead up to the elevated bedroom. This also offers a wide view of the avenue. The roof shape is standardized so that the roof is also a ceiling. The structural timber frame is fully exposed both internally and externally. This provides both structural and architectural design freedom.
The monolithic concrete base is partially sunk into the land to emphasize a sense of refuge and physical engagement with the terrain. The cast-in-place concrete application also allows for seamless integration of the kitchenette, half staircase and fireplace hearth, as well as an external seat and integrated linear planter.
Renovated design holiday home as an eco-friendly addition
The cabin aims to minimize the impact on the natural environment. The structure is only 110 m² in size and is camouflaged from the surrounding streets. The floor plan is designed to reduce disruption to the site and minimize impact on existing trees. The architects strengthened and expanded the vegetation through subsequent native planting, replanting the entire subsoil of the site and complementing the moonah trees.
The designers relocated new boundaries of wall and native planting to blur abstract property boundaries and hopefully expand the sense of place beyond its immediate boundaries.
