Disconnected Escape – Blueys Beach House by Apto & Best Architects

Nestled between ocean and scrubland, Blueys Beach House is envisioned as a weekend escape, disconnected from everyday life and yet outward reaching to embrace its context. Apto & Best Architects draws inspiration from the surrounding coastal setting in combining a natural warmth together with a welcomed lightness.

Located in the same-named Blueys Beach, the occasional home speaks to the traditional temporary nature of homes along Australia’s coastal towns. Referencing the known vernacular, the structure stands light of foot, while reaching out with long spanning views to the ocean. As a counter to the generously glazed front, the form sits anchored in place amongst the densely populated natural vegetation, ensuring a sense of weighted heft connects the form to its site. The home is envisioned as a holiday residence, allowing its owner to be transported to another place, away from the urban bustle of Sydney, and instead become immersed in amongst nature. Apto & Best Architects use a combined long and lean structural approach together with warming textures to connect to place.

The home is envisioned as a holiday residence, allowing its owner to be transported to another place, away from the urban bustle of Sydney, and instead become immersed in amongst nature.

Built by Slowman Built and developed by PDA Consulting, Blueys Beach House takes in and optimises its dual aspects. Set amongst native vegetation, the home feels embedded amongst the site, while its elevated setting allows for long-reaching views toward the ocean. This duality ensures a sense of privacy and enclosure and reveal to the opposite side of the home. The priority of the home was to create a feeling of disconnection and retreat from the owners’ existing urban setting. Through a devised methodology, connections between the built and the natural elements are emphasised as much as possible, with openings playing a key role in reinforcing the relationship.

In the composition of its materiality, texture and contrast, the focus of the home remains on the views, with an open approach to planning ensuring that visual connection is felt throughout. Skylights ensure the interior feels naturally lit as the sun passes over the home throughout the day. The same openings then connect to the sky and tree canopies nearby. Blurring the boundary between inside and out, thresholds open up to invite the outside inward. Due to the climatic positioning of the home, the optimum temperature sees an openly ventilated home that encourages the spill over onto the exterior surrounding terrace spaces. Subtle changes in floor level then create a delineation internally, while still maintaining sightlines out.

This duality ensures a sense of privacy and enclosure and reveal to the opposite side of the home.

Through its openness, Blueys Beach House drinks in its surrounds. Apto & Best Architects proposes a home of lightness and lofted elevation that strengthens a sense of retreat.