Beach Retreat - Killcare, NSW
By Australian Glass Group
The award-winning renovation of this striking beach retreat in Killcare, NSW, faced substantial challenges that tested the boundaries of architectural innovation and compliance. Originally designed and built by architects Ellen Woolley and Peter Tonkin for their own use, the home’s architecture garnered an RAIA Architecture Award for Single and Multiple Housing in 2001. Their design ascended several levels up a steep 45-degree hillside to offer unmatched views, but it also presented difficulties.
Its construction predated the stringent bushfire building regulations that would dictate future renovations, not to mention the progression of high-performance glazing technology. The new homeowners’ aspirations to further enhance the dramatic vistas of the beach, ocean, and adjoining Bouddi National Park had to be balanced with the needs to adhere to these bushfire regulations and improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Underpinning the renovation efforts was the clients’ deep-seated desire to respect the original architectural design and to further integrate the home with its extraordinary landscape. This nexus of aesthetic ambition and regulatory compliance set the stage for a challenging yet ultimately rewarding renovation.
Specification
- Outer: Clear Toughened
- Spacer: Steel Spacer
- Inner: Pyroglass Pyranova
Awards and
recognition
The renovation of the Beach Retreat House embodies design vision, sustainability, and safety. Architect Ellen Woolley and builder Tristan Davis led the transformative project, focusing on updating the home and enhancing its connection to its dramatic natural surroundings while navigating the complexities of bushfire regulations, thermal comfort, and sustainability.
Woolley, reflecting on the project, emphasised the importance of marrying aesthetics with functionality. She explained that the objective was to not only enlarge the kitchen and revamp other areas but also to maximize the home’s engagement with its breathtaking environment. In addition, achieving thermal efficiency and meeting bushfire safety standards without compromising the home’s design integrity was paramount. “We needed to find ways to be compliant without being aesthetically oppressive,” Woolley noted.
The renovation incorporated advanced solutions, most significantly Paarhammer’s Bushfire Safe windows and doors featuring AGG’s Pyroglass ISO Pyranova<sup>®</sup> insulating fire-resistant glazing system. The window system tested and approved for BAL-FZ enabled bushfire safety requirements to be surpassed, without the use of shutters, also enhancing energy efficiency.
Using the Paarhammer Bushfire Safe range with the Pyroglass ISO Pyranova<sup>®</sup> glazing system enabled the main living area to significantly open by eliminating a corner post and installing stacking doors with tremendous spans.
“We worked with Paarhammer to create a frameless corner where glazed doors stack back eight metres, opening the house to the ocean, and four and a half metres on the park side to provide uninterrupted space and views,” says Davis.
“It’s like being at the beach; the house is only 200 metres from the breaking water.”
Woolley says that, with the walls folded back, the room feels like a verandah: “It floats. The house hangs out so you feel perched in a tree in the sky.”
The integration of Pyroglass ISO Pyranova<sup>®</sup> glazing brought an extra layer of functionality to the project. This window system and glazing solution offers up to 30 minutes of Insulating Fire Resistance, providing unparalleled safety and thermal insulation. “Incorporating Paarhammer windows and doors using AGG’s Pyroglass ISO Pyranova<sup>®</sup> glazing system was key to enhancing the home’s thermal performance and safety, ensuring that the extraordinary views remain unobstructed, without the need for shutters,” Woolley remarked. Davis added that the technical superiority of these solutions allowed them to deliver a sanctuary that embodied safety, comfort, and harmony with its environment.
This comprehensive renovation underscores the importance of innovative materials and technologies in overcoming environmental and regulatory challenges. The project revitalized the Beach Retreat House, expanded its connection to the landscape and met contemporary standards of sustainability and safety.
Professionals used in
Beach Retreat - Killcare, NSW
More projects from
Australian Glass Group
About the
Professional
We are one of the markets’ leading glass processors offering high performance glass products made right here in Australia from one of our three local processing plants: NSW, VIC and TAS.
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To be the Service and Product differentiated market leader in double glazed units across South East Australia.
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We are your glass experts and can help with solutions to meet your needs as well as satisfy NCC requirements with certified compliance.
We believe in beautiful sustainable buildings and support Australia’s internal and external Climate Change goals. We do this through our passion and sharing of our knowledge and experience to guarantee the best possible outcome of higher quality glazing in the use of our buildings that are Energy Efficient.
We specialise in high performing LowE Double Glazing and boast a wide range of options available to suit your needs. Detailed glazing specification reports are available for your project as well as full engineered design and sign-off solutions.