An inspired super house leveraging its unique site nestled between the calm waters of Pittwater, the surf beach of Avalon and bushland in Clareville on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, M House envelopes the landscape in its very structure in an alluring and profound way. Rama Architects creates a home that viscerally connects inhabitants to the surrounding landscape while maintaining a sense of privacy and tranquillity.
Grounded in the idea that form follows function, this inspired super house is functional first, then focuses on layout and flow. As such, Rama Architects responded to the client’s brief to create a Brazilian modernist-style home. This style is based on creating a sense of transparency and connection to surrounding waterways while maintaining a feeling of sanctuary.
With a tangible indoor-outdoor connection, there is an immediate sense of tranquillity as the plantings engulf the architecture of the home’s structure. Upon entering the inspired super house, one is greeted with a courtyard that welcomes filtered light through the above tree canopy. The home is delineated by floor-to-ceiling glass doors and leans heavily into subtropical design principles and Brazilian modernist philosophies surrounding the prioritisation of natural light and ventilation. Plants cascade down from the rooftop and are visible from every room, once again reiterating an appreciation of the beachside locale. Similarly, the main living area releases with ease to the water and western horizon beyond, while a sunken lounge is incorporated to align with the Brazilian modernist typology of the inspired super house and ensures no couches or furniture distract from the view.
The M House is grounded in a connection between masculine and feminine materials, which creates a juxtaposition of feeling safe but also vulnerable within the home. For example, privacy is created through the dominant brutal front façade and greenery engulfing the building. Similarly, a restrained palette of materials – including grey sandstone, concrete and tallowwood timber – speaks to a distinct modernist influence and creates a warmth that references the surrounding nature.
In this essence, Rama Architects balances an interpretation of modernism, the easy dialogue that prevails between nature and built form, and an expressive brutalist quality. The result is an inspired super house that evokes a tangible emotional connection between the inhabitants and the architecture of the home.
00:00 – Introduction to the Brazilian Inspired Super House
00:56 – Behind the Modernist Idea of Form Follows Function
01:26 – The Beachside Location
01:47 – Brazilian Modernist Inspiration
02:14 – A Walkthrough of the Home
04:24 – An Emphasis on Privacy
05:11 – The Rich Green Landscaping
05:30 – Connecting the Masculine and Feminine Materials
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Architecture by Rama Architects
Photography by Anson Smart
Build by Hampton Constructions
Interior Design by Rama Architects
Styling by Composition Studio, Avalon
Landscape by Sprout Studio
Landscape by Reflective Gardens
Joinery by DEBRICH Custom Joinery
Artwork by Adam Leng
Artwork by Amelia Carroll
Artwork by Ethan-James Kotiau
Artwork by Keith Kerinaui
Filmed and Edited by The Local Project.
Production by The Local Project.
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Location: Clareville, New South Wales, Australia
The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
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