farmhouse oceanview

Architect
Brit Andresen & Peter O'Gorman

Engineer
John Batterham

Owner
P & D Barnett

Builder
Taycon Pty Ltd

Location
Oceanview, Qld.

Date Completed
1996

Plywood Interior Lining

Seen from a distance, this holiday house, set down on the lee of the hill, sits evenly in the landscape. Surrounded by pasturelands and views of the sea, its ridge runs parallel to the ground line and down the length of the building.

Raised off the ground and protected from grazing cattle by a ditch, this is an L shaped house with a residential wing that looks north and east towards the sea, and attached bunkhouse, workshops and tractor shed. The entry on the south facade is restrained. The walls here are clad in vertically fixed galvanised iron laid over with horizontal timber battens. This forms a grid that highlights shadows and breaks down the larger surfaces. This grid continues, wrapping around the east end of the building, over the bedroom windows, and as a framework across tractor shed.

Upon entering the house, the architecture works towards making places of relaxation and comfort. The materials soften and the building edges are detailed to relieve any harsh lines. From the large verandah, with its generous steps and shaded seating area, the north wall of timber studs with plywood sheeting follows a long timber ramp towards the covered workshop. To the east of the verandah, are the spacious and comfortable living areas.

The warm colours of plywood, exposed timber beams and polished hardwood floors enhance these rooms. The walls and ceiling are lined with rotary peel veneer plywood. Simply battened at the joints on most surfaces, in the kitchen and dining area, it is slatted in the lower portions to set it apart from the simple leadlight windows.

The long sofa set into the north wall is a strong expression of the ease that the Australian holiday house should bring. Set beneath a low arch, it is a place to relax and observe the world: either the one outside, through the plywood shutters that control the light, view and privacy, or the one inside, as other members of the household go about the rituals of living.

Reference

Abitare 1996, 'Linea di Paesaggio', A 356, Milano, November.

Myers, P. 1996, Ocean View Farm, Architecture Australia, May &endash; June, pp 58-65.