Fairhaven
Devised to hunker into its windswept terrain, Fairhaven is a sculptural shelter shaped by sun and views – a discrete earthen mass for moments of escapism and repose.
On the banks of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, a seaside settlement presents a picturesque escape for the small population that call this place home. An ad-hoc assortment of dwellings peppers the scrubby terrain in response to the robust geology that defines this locale. Intent on laying low within the land, Fairhaven is an exploration of protection and camouflage – an incognito architecture shaped by the forces of nature.
Designed in a collaboration between LTD Architectural Design Studio and DOOD Studio, the project is a reincarnation of the former abode as a backdrop to a new life chapter. “The clients had owned and been holidaying at the existing house on the property for several years. However, its condition was deteriorating and had become too small for their needs,” explains David Maurice of LTD. Guided by the client’s desire for a recessive mass that hunkers into its surrounds, a unique geometry is moulded by the complexities of orientation and outlook.
Conceived as a simple singular form, edges are carved and chamfered for a seamless transition from inside to out – a resoundingly permeable architecture united by an earthen exterior shell. A private upstairs level evokes an introspective retreat, while the lower floor serves as a communal hub for the convergence of family and friends. “Decks are considered as extensions of the living areas,” describes Maurice. “The protected outdoor space to the rear can be used in almost all weather, while the seaward balcony is all about taking in the views and sunlounging on fine days.”
Materials are raw and honest as an extension of this coastal outcrop, cloaking the home in a robust armature that blends into its rugged precipice. “Local sandstone, spotted gum and steel are layered over a sturdy concrete base that anchors the building into the land,” explains Andrew Stapleton of DOOD Studio. “Corten coloured cladding was picked to echo the seams of oxidised mineral rock found along the coastline,” he adds. Moving inward, the house deploys a warmer palette of Tasmanian oak linings and polished aggregate floors – interspersed by soothing green cabinetry that pulls into focus the verdant beauty of this special site.
A sense of whimsy encircles the abode in a reductive landscape that recalls the unkept essence of this seaside place. Manicured shrubs grow in harmony with windswept grasses and hardy natives to soften the threshold between built and organic. Decks, sleepers and projecting planes are balanced by asymmetric split face pavers and stoney deposits – framed by deep-set apertures that serve to direct one’s gaze. “Landscape designers Sea Echo executed this perfectly, allowing the house to recede into the hillside to be slowly engulfed over time,” remarks Stapleton.
Imbued in a sense of calm, Fairhaven is a tactile escape that tightly grasps the land. A low-lying block precisely chiselled as a restful shelter from the blustery weathers that roll across the sea. Durability and elegance culminate in a considered architecture of tonal reductivism – a sculptural jewel box devised for moments of togetherness and repose.
Architecture by LTD Architectural Design Studio. Building and interior design by DOOD Studio. Build by Spence Construction. Landscape design by Sea Echo.
