Stradbroke dual occupancy by Graham Anderson Architect

Expansive ocean and bush views set the design objectives for these two holiday houses on a 1000 square metre sloping site at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island.

Architect: Graham Anderson Architect
Location: Poiht Lookout, North Stardbroke ISland , Australia
Year: 2012
Project size: 500 m2
Site size: 1,035 m2
Photography: Andrew Manson

From the architect: Our clients wanted a family holiday house and another house that they could rent as a holiday home. Maximising ocean views, managing sun exposure and creating a private retreat for our clients in this dual occupancy development were our key priorities.

The family home was also designed in a way that contributes to the streetscape at night through the use of Sunpal opaque polycarbonate sheeting.

By orienting the family home perpendicular to the street we:
- Increased the viewing angle from the living areas and main bedroom
- Minimised the amount of the building at the street front, also allowing a dominance of open space in this coastal setting
- Provided the rear house with visual access to the street thus minimising the potential claustrophobic atmosphere of one house built behind another.

The plan for both houses follows adjacent linear zones. A narrower service zone of stairs, bathrooms, storage and kitchen serve the adjacent larger occupation zones of living, dining and bedrooms.

The upper level of the front house is split level, accommodating the steeply sloping site. This level culminates in a large semi-enclosed deck, perched approximately five metres above ground, in the prime view location.

The lower level, consisting of a secondary living area, three bedrooms and bathrooms is set perpendicular to the upper level and parallel to the slope of the land. This allows the house to be visually connected to the ground, and provides a ground level courtyard adjoining the lower living space. This secure courtyard is the secondary "beach" entry, with external beach equipment storage and external shower.

Materials - The design maintains a neutral colour palette to harmonise with the coastal dry heathland vegetation. The external materials are:
- CCH Ecoply plywood, painted dark charcoal
- opaque "Sunpal 10" polycarbonate from Palram, and
- board and batten cladding from Radial Timbers, Victoria.

Sunpal opaque polycarbonate sheeting has a high thermal insulation value for a translucent material. It was an ideal material for following reasons:
- solving the clients’ desire for high levels of privacy while achieving a high level of natural light;
- providing an effective shading material to the east facing deck, blocking heat penetration while minimising a sense of enclosure through high levels of admitted daylight;
- delivering reverse illumination at night to create a lantern effect, animating the streetscape with a sense of festivity in a holiday setting.

The natural board and batten cladding to the lower level provided solidity to the ground and created a strong affinity with the dry coastal heathland vegetation.

Internally the neutral palette was extended with lime washed floors, natural timber, and the milky opaque polycarbonate

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