Australia Trends Home Trends Volume 31 No 1 Australia | Page 21

stumbled across one of the best beachfront
locations in the region.
It sat on a promontory immediately in
front of the sand dunes, with 270° ocean
views. But its unusual north-facing aspect
meant the house could be designed to
make the most of those views without
being fully exposed to prevailing winds.
“There were also advantages with the
orientation for the sun,” says Banham.
“Our winters can be quite cool, but the
lower winter sun can penetrate into a
house if it faces north.”

However, for much of the year the
interiors and outdoor living areas had to
be shaded from the sun.
“We needed extensive overhangs, so
we used the roof and balconies to give
protection,” says Banham. “We’ve tapered
the steel beams to cantilever the overhangs and clad them with Scyon.”
These roof planes became the driving
force behind the design, penetrating the
interiors to form bulkheads. They also tie
the house to the view, with the prominent
line of the horizon in the distance.

Facing page, top: Architect Gary Banham has
spent a lifetime designing houses. He realised
the potential of this site when it first came on the
market and perfected the plans for his own home
over several years before building began.
Facing page, lower: The house makes the most
of the north-facing aspect with 270° views to the
Indian Ocean.
Above: While the oceanside site provides a great
outlook, it also presented two issues that the
design of the house needed to address – blustery
winter winds and intense summer afternoon sun.

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