Between Sea and Sky – Contemplation House by Virginia Kerridge Architect

Contemplation House is idyllically situated between the sea and sky of Byron Bay. Virginia Kerridge Architect combines a philosophical and nature-based approaching responding to the site, conjuring a front-row seat to the changing seasons throughout the year.

Nestled into the undulating hillside of Byron Bay’s coast, Contemplation House is inspired by the essence of a free-spirited life by the ocean– a shared value of its owners. Connecting to the site and an appreciation for nature were paramount in the conjuring of this home, consequently seeing a series of openings that allow for an immersion in its context. Combining philosophies that speak to cycles in life and the innate connection to environmental cues, the resulting home is an open embrace of its surrounds, encouraging movement and dynamism through which climatic elements engage with the building. Virginia Kerridge Architect has created a home that sits comfortably between the sea and sky, optimising the many vantage points of its siting.

The courtyard becomes a place of stillness and a pause to the theatrical nature show unfolding in the surrounds and is a place to retreat to as the core of the home.

Built by Heanesbuilt, Contemplation House takes form as a U-shape on site and cradles its own open courtyard garden space. Sited to respond to the orientation of the sun and the preferred balance between solar gain and shading, the built elements provide a sense of shelter and protection while opening expansively to the views beyond. The courtyard becomes a place of stillness and retreat at the core of the home and a pause to the theatrical nature show unfolding in the surrounds. The living spaces are oriented north and to the east, with generous views out to the ocean, while the scale of the home and the materiality speak to an encasing sense of enclosure, with the more intimate sleeping and bathing areas are grouped in quieter areas.

As an integral living and breathing element, the landscape plays a vital role in the workings of this home and ensuring key connections and transitions between the built and the natural was key. Imagined by Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture, the surrounding landscape design brings a naturally occurring palette inspired by the nearby bushland setting, with an emphasis by the client on site regeneration. The home is conscious of its impact on its natural environs and is deemed an off-grid self-sustaining property, with the photovoltaic panels on the roof producing more energy than the house consumes. Recycled materiality both clads the structure externally and internally, with blackbutt timber used in custom cladding and flooring.

Sited to respond to the orientation of the sun and the preferred balance between solar gain and shading, the built elements provide a sense of shelter and protection while opening expansively to the views beyond.