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Macmasters Beach House by Polly Harbison Design
A jewel of the New South Wales coastline, Macmasters Beach is defined by its natural vegetation and pristine seascape, deeply cared for by its local community.
Here, Polly Harbison Design was tasked with creating a family retreat to function with a utilitarian efficiency without compromising the beauty of the coastal environment. Macmasters Beach House culminates in a celebration of the landscape with a gentle touch on the earth and the essence of what it means to live alongside the ocean.
“The poetry of the project comes from the site,” explains Polly Harbison, director of the eponymous practice tasked with realising a seaside family home. The project sits at the base of a small headland, a prominent position emphasised by its location on the sweeping corner of the access to the main beach. The road here creates a clear view to the local surf club, a hub for the beachside community. The poetry Harbison alludes to is evident in the significant ecological context of the site; “it contains a precious pocket of bush,” she says, and “great care was taken to preserve it.”
When describing the design process for the project, it is apparent that the site and the building exist in a symbiotic relationship, each informed by the other. The design of the beach house is defined by its subtle integration into the landscape – “the form and materials of the house respond directly to its setting,” says Harbison, the purpose being to ensure the existing precious vegetation is not only retained but enhanced by the occupation of the site. In pursuit of this ideal, the small footprint of the building is anchored into the hillside. Cradled within curved cuts into the earth, a discrete timber volume sits gently amid terraced landscaping. In addition to an ecological ambition, the building design is shaped by a desire to mitigate visual prominence from all vantages. “The form of the house is elongated to present a narrow frontage to the street,” explains Harbison. From the surf club, the building blends into the headland and, from the beach, only the timber-clad box of the upper floor can be seen.
When describing the design process for the project, it is apparent that the site and the building exist in a symbiotic relationship, each informed by the other.
Harbison describes the design narrative of the building as one that “captures the essence of a beach house”, intentionally designed for simplicity and basic convenience to heighten the experience of living at the ocean’s edge. Carefully composed apertures, portals and eaves in the building’s form craft sightlines to the beach and bush from within the home. With these key design gestures, the architecture creates the notion of a secluded family retreat capable of balancing the brilliance of the ocean with the beauty of the coastal flora.
If the sea creates a boundary to one side of the building, the hillside vegetation can be said to create the boundary to the other – Macmasters Beach House strikes a subtle line between the two. The landscaping for the site was the result of a considered collaboration with Michael Cooke Garden Design. Cooke’s planting strategy is structured around the homogenisation of architecture with landscape and a strict belief that the landscaping treatment must be able to exist harmoniously with the home. With the careful regeneration of the existing bush, a sensitive integration of new planting and the sympathetic weathering of architectural building materials, the beach house regresses and retreats from view. Climbing plants are supported on a privacy wall, concealing an external stairway, and a boundary wall along the street edge is designed as a backdrop for a collection of banksia trees.
If the sea creates a boundary to one side of the building, the hillside vegetation can be said to create the boundary to the other – Macmasters Beach House strikes a subtle line between the two.
The impact of the abundant landscaping bleeds into the experience within Macmasters Beach House. “Barefoot luxury” is the term Harbison uses to define the arrangement of space within the building “to accommodate a large family while retaining a humble, unpretentious character”. The occupation is split into three levels: the bottom level contains the kids’ area while the top level offers the quiet and serenity of private accommodation. The middle level brings everyone together and functions as the primary living space that opens to a terraced perimeter.
As if to connect the soul of the home to the history of its context, materials salvaged from an original 1940s shack on the site have been cleverly integrated in respectful consideration of the building’s environmental impact. Harbison speaks with admiration for the contractors’ involvement in repurposing elements during construction. “The builders were very mindful about limiting waste and reusing materials,” she says, explaining the use of salvaged timber for door jambs and interior joinery and the creative reuse of concrete formwork to line ceilings.
The impact of the abundant landscaping bleeds into the experience within Macmasters Beach House.
As a holiday home for a big family, Macmasters Beach House still feels like a beach shack – notwithstanding its scale – intimately connected to the landscape. Every part of this coastal retreat exists as a reminder that it is delicately crafted for the uninhibited experience of living on the beach.
Architecture by Polly Harbison Design. Build by Paterson Builders. Landscape design by Michael Cooke Garden Design. Engineering by Tihanyi Consulting Engineers. Joinery by Fine Earth Joinery. Timber doors by Bakers Joinery. Paving by Eco Outdoor.
