Bundeena Beach House

The Guest bedroom and office are accessed via a covered walkway.

Words from Sam Crawford Architects

The house is sited on the dune fronting Horderns Beach, at Bundeena, on the northern edge of the Royal National Park, on Sydney's southern edge. It is a fragile place, commanding particular sensitivity from an architect.

The house is raised off the ground, set on steel posts driven into the dune, braced against a north-easterly sea swell that can, at times, send a surge of energy through the dune and into the building fabric. Thus, the house is designed to be both strong, and flexible - built of a composite steel/ timber frame, clad in rough sawn plywood and corrugated iron.

Each room provides a framework for a different set of experiences.

When viewed from the beach, the house modest in scale, the upper level bedroom setback for privacy. An outdoor 'breezeway' living room is shielded from the glare of the ocean and beachgoers by retractable timber blinds.

The living rooms are positioned on the dune ridge to make the most of the stunning view. On the beach side a breezeway room sits protected from the morning glare of the water by operable timber louvered walls - and on the bush side, an open deck sits protected from a sometimes bracing breeze.

The main bedroom is perched above the living rooms, well back from the beach for privacy, commanding 360 degree views, of the beach, the bay, the bush and the hamlet of Bundeena. Another bedroom and an office on the ground floor are accessed via an open, roofed timber walkway - gently forcing visitors and occupants to experience the elements.

For the client, a naturopath, it is at once a beach house, a home, a place of work, and a threshold to the surrounding environment.

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