Minimalism is the Key to Wildcoast Road Residence

FGR Architects has brought the best of simple, minimalist design to Wildcoast Road, Portsea, by creating a rectangular module home that effortlessly stands out amongst the establishment. The design is meticulous and considerate where upon first look, the family residence appears to be floating, as it sits perched on a crest. The unique land typology allows for a six-metre cantilever with the land gently cascading away. The true beauty of the home though is experienced in the journey of arrival. Cars must navigate a ‘battle axe’ layout from the surrounding parkland, moving through a pear tree-lined driveway before finally walking up a definitive trail of stone steps to the front door.
Once inside, a clean and comfortable atmosphere is immediately apparent. The sun-protected sitting area within the central module is made from a frameless glass wall, creating an overall transparency and allowing the home to breathe from one end to the other. One half is a living space complete with an open, glazed facade, and the other, a private space that hovers above ground housing three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
A pure, simple palette has been used to create a timeless elegance across the 340sqm home, with internal renders carefully selected to match the exterior of the building.
The bathrooms are created to mimic the external elements and create an illusion of showering in the outside environment. Large skylights let in generous amounts of sun creating a natural and organic atmosphere, once again complemented by dark joinery including black tapware and towel rail. Considering the entry to the private part of the home, the kitchen is complete with a statement 5m long natural stone island
bench surrounded by dark cupboards and benchtops as well as prominent black tapware. The flooring is made of light timber that is complimented by dark, simple joinery. Flooded with natural light, the kitchen looks out to the swimming pool and beach through frameless 22.5 m glass panels, offering a comfortable place to take in the sweeping coastal views whilst enjoying an evening meal or morning coffee.

Credits:

Location: Portsea, Australia
Architects: FGR Architects
Area: 340 m²
Year: 2016
Photographs: Peter Bennetts

0:00 – Wildcoast Road
5:00 – Drawings

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  • House LV1 (house nanchi 1 y 2)

    CASA LV1 (casa nanchi 1 y 2)
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION
    The Casa LV1 (casa nanchi 1 and 2), is a multi-familiar conformed by two houses constructed in the same land, the main material used for its construction was white striated concrete.
    DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY
    The Casa LV1 (casa nanchi 1 and 2) is a complex of two houses designed for a family an elderly couple, their young daughter and their granddaughter. Each house has the necessary privacy for each development, with the interrelationship and coexistence of the family; they are located in an irregular diamond-shaped land of approximately 250m2, a gradient over 10% with a view to the southeast.
    The Casa nanchi 1, on its main floor has: living room, dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, main bedroom with closet and its own bathroom, this floor is directly connected with the service area; the lower floor has a hall, two bedrooms with closet and its own bathroom; the upper floor has a roofed recreation room and a garden terrace. All the floors are connected by a stair, and has a parking lot. The total constructed surface is of 160 m2.
    The Casa nanchi 2 has on its main floor: living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and service area; on the upper floor it has: main bedroom with closet and its own bathroom, an additional bedroom with closet, a little play room and a bathroom; on the lower floor, where the entrance is, has: two parking lots and an exterior stair which is connected to the other floors. The total constructed surface of the house is 145 m2 excluding parking lots.
    Both houses share main entrance, service yard, green spaces and services.
    The houses are named after the nanchi tree (byrosonimacrassifolia) that is located in that land; it was respected and the project was adapted around it, to make it a natural decoration for the dinning room of the Casa nanchi 1. This house was designed for an elderly couple and it has a terrace in the upper floor, which is a recreational and relaxing space with a view of the surroundings to enjoy with the company of family, friends and guests. It has a double-height space which allows the development of the tree.
    The design of the Casa nanchi 2, which was designed for the daughter and granddaughter of the family, is inspired in the Brno chair, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van ser Rohe, which not only allows a large volume, but also an efficient and free structural principle because with this solution is obtained an overhang of 4.85 m with a support of 2.85 m, generating a space without any support under the construction.
    The concept of the houses is derogates no only from the connection (interior-familiar, exterior-landscape), but also from the visual freedom that people perceive before entering in the house and also in the interior of them. This is fulfilled by the volumetric integration that defined the spaces of each house, both prisms have specific substractions that allow a formal integration of the two elements; in the Casa nanchi 1 the terrace is subtracted and in the Casa nanchi 2 the parking area is subtracted, transforming both elements without losing its integrity.
    The connection of both houses is so important that is not only achieved materially with the union of the two architectonic objects from the common entrance, connotating the link of the family, but also with the landscape, through the transparency in the facade of the two houses, which creates a visual freedom for the inhabitants. This gives a greater illumination of the spaces, producing a feeling of spaciousness and allows the air circulation due to the large windows that are handled by the users.
    The material, white striated exposed concrete and stone dust of the region, recalls the honesty of the materials, this simplicity benefits the environment, because it doesn’t use coatings in walls, fooors or roofs, contributing the less possible to the pollution. The exposed finishes means less production, transportation and utilization of pollutant materials. As said before, the free circulation of air allows a constant cleaning of the interior air which allows a natural regulation of the temperature, achieving termic comfort for the users and reducing the use of electronic devices that cools artificially the place. Besides, the same large windows avoid the unnecessary use of artificial illumination during the day allowing the entrance of sunlight in the morning.