The brief for this project was to renovate an existing brick house, originally with very little interaction with its surroundings despite its privileged location and views.

It was requested for all living areas to be placed upstairs to maximise views, and to add a guest bedroom and second living downstairs. All openings needed to be revised so that views were available from almost every room in the house.

External materials required upgrading throughout. Although the roof was to remain at its existing angle, the house had an odd proportion from a mass volume point of view. Internal layouts were adapted to suit larger openings & an open plan living style, focusing the attention to the views from all areas, enhancing the indoor-outdoor links.

A self-contained second living area, including a guest room & ensuite, was placed on the original kitchen & living space, now all open to the yard and views. A feature staircase was placed on a wider entry hall, leading towards the new Living areas at the upper level.

Although approached as an open plan living, a low wall behind the stairs' void provides a subtle separation between living and dining/kitchen areas. Original windows were removed and replaced by a series of consecutive window sets, resulting in close to 11-metre uninterrupted ocean views.

Recycled hardwood cladding covered the original brick walls. Cladding is laid vertically and asymmetrically within the side elevations, which combined with black renders towards the back, providing a perception of height to the original low pitch roof.

New deck areas and gallery stairs would link the house to the yard whilst balancing the scale of the house.

Photography: Shaw Photography (All photos except for Squires Cr 1) & Kramer Photography (ONLY Squires Cr 1)