Barefoot Sophistication – Nannygai by Paul Butterworth Architect

Life is slower on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island). The landscape and a freeing coastal feeling were impetus for Paul Butterworth Architect’s Nannygai – a barefoot beach house not imposed upon but rather informed by its surroundings.

Rugged and windswept, Quandamooka Country is only a short ferry from the safety of Brisbane’s broadwater. Here Nannygai acts as a frame, perched high on Mulumba (Point Lookout) with views of nothing but blue water and bluer sky. This experience is not privatised, with passers-by similarly experiencing this opening, looking through the house to the great expanse beyond.

The home is bordered by natural landscaping that blurs the clarity of any distinct boundary lines, offering occupants a tunnel of sight and nourishing connection to the seaside environment.

The vision of Paul Butterworth Architect’s Nannygai involved the careful curation of visitor arrival experiences such as this, as well as embedding opportunities for other memorable lifestyle moments. A private courtyard for outdoor showers and sandy feet. A cool concrete undercroft providing refuge from the summer heat. Cascading theatre steps for coffee and surf checks and sunsets.

Creating an environmentally immersive living experience was essential to the project. Replacing an asbestos shack, the family home of Nannygai was reimagined as an elevated viewing platform with a series of landscape terraces amid the treetop scenery. The home is bordered by natural landscaping that blurs the clarity of any distinct boundary lines, offering occupants a tunnel of sight and nourishing connection to the seaside environment.

Nannygai epitomises the fundamentals of coastal living through functional, flexible, minimal and permeable spaces. Holiday rituals and opportunities to engage with the island setting were driving factors in the organisation of space and, for this reason, the home is equally accommodating to large family gatherings while remaining suitably scaled for a couple’s retreat.

On the upper floor is a single bedroom studio with an additional living and bathroom. The upstairs deck is restrained to enable adjacent floor-to-ceiling glass, drawing in light, ventilation and, of course, the view. While downstairs, multiple sliding doors functionally convert space to suit occupants, connecting them to the landscape or facilitating privacy.

Holiday rituals and opportunities to engage with the island setting were driving factors in the organisation of space and, for this reason, the home is equally accommodating to large family gatherings while remaining suitably scaled for a couple’s retreat.

A project so intimately considerate of and connected to its landscape required great collaboration between Paul Butterworth Architect, the client, the builder, and all suppliers and subcontractors. In order to achieve a robust construction capable of withstanding harsh winds and sea spray, the skill of local labour was required. This specialised craftsmanship, experienced in building durable island homes, ensures Nannygai will resist the damaging forces of its environment thanks to raw, non-reflective and predominantly pre-finished external materials, requiring little maintenance. The interior follows suit – finishes and details are defined by unobtrusive and glare-reducing materials and tones.

The occupants of Nannygai have much to look forward to, memories they will recall in decades to come. Preparing meals around the long kitchen bench, summer barbecues and winter fires on the outdoor terraces. In the presence of the great Pacific Ocean, the landscape will continue to grow and conceal the home, reinforcing its natural setting.