This project involved the construction of a new 2 storey pavilion at the rear of a timber cottage on a gently sloping block at Pretty Beach on the Central Coast, NSW. The pavilion mediates the transition from the existing dwelling up to the rear yard. The existing dwelling is converted into 4 bedrooms and a verandah/play space for the family’s 4 young children and retains several murals painted by the children.
The pavilion includes a new entry and master bedroom suite on the lower level and an open plan living and kitchen area on the upper level to take advantage of north-easterly views of the Brisbane Waters. The kitchen area is partially screened from the living space which opens out to a covered deck and the children’s cubby house in the rear yard.
The pavilion has a timber post and beam structure and is clad in fibre cement. The upper level features a series of solid core doors that hinge open to afford additional natural light that the budget would have not otherwise afforded. The doors become the signature of the house and open like gills to capture morning sun, cooling breezes, direct views, and screen the house from an adjoining pedestrian path up the hill to the national park. They have been painted in a tonal range of green inspired by the surrounding landscape.
The project was featured in Green Sustainable Architecture Magazine and Breeze online magazine and received the Best Small Project Award by the Newcastle Chapter of the AIA in 2011.