Boulevard Beach House

Boulevard Beach House sits across the road from the surf beach at Torquay, where the weather of Bass Strait rolls in and meets the cliffs. Zen Architects took the memory of an elevated timber beach house and reworked its simple, elegant forms and efficient spaces into something new yet familiar.

The plan is organised to harness the sun while sheltering the interior from the harsh coastal conditions. Sea views are drawn in through carefully placed apertures that keep the rooms private from the street. By reusing a footprint close to that of the original house, the design retained the established garden and several mature trees, anchoring the building to its local setting.

Stained cypress pine weatherboard cladding is left to weather gracefully to a silver grey, so the house settles into the surrounding landscape over time. Inside, a restrained, natural palette of recycled timber joinery, local hardwood floors and goats' wool carpet gives the rooms a warm character and a strong sense of being surrounded by the natural world.

Set over two levels, the house has an internal area of 180 m² on a 596 m² site and was completed in 2012.

Architect: Ric Zen, Zen Architects. Photography: Gorta Yuuki.