A Protective Outpost – Silver Linings House by Rachcoff Vella

Words by Bronwyn Marshall
Architecture by Rachcoff Vella
Photography by Tatjana Plitt
Interior Design by Rachcoff Vella

Standing robust and unwavering, Silver Linings House imbeds itself into the sand dunes and coastal grassed landscape as a place of protection from the elements. Rachcoff Vella Architects creates a textured concrete and timber outpost, silver lined with select materiality, opening up to the elements beyond.

Nestled into its coastal milieu, Silver Linings House reflects the encased opening of shelter along an unyielding and harsh climatic landscape. Emerging as a predominantly concrete structure of resilience, the residence offers a place of protective respite from the elements while standing steadfast and uncompromising as a result of its robust materiality and low-lying, horizontally-spread form. Contrasting its surrounding neighbours of expansive glass, an alternate route was adopted where a controlled and restrained palette of limited materials creates a bold statement amongst its natural setting. Rachcoff Vella Architects embarked on a five-year journey to complete a home of laboured passion and dedication to detail, creating a unique coastal home, set to endure.

The interplay with light, throughout the day and across the seasons then allows the home to change and respond accordingly, inciting differing moods and levels of intimacy.

Built by Koorool Constructions, Silver Linings House is the result of a measured process, with a clear vision and identified desired outcomes. Throughout, complexity is concealed deliberately to create a home of clarity, minimalism and one reflecting a considered co-existence with space. The reductionist approach sees few materials on site, further enhancing a sense of being wrapped in the one material. Predominantly, concrete is used to form the home, and openings are carved into the overall mass and filled with glass and timber. Although robust and seemingly stark, the dark and moody nuanced colours and variations in the concrete offer an integral warmth.

Despite the seeming rigidity of the comprising materiality, the planning of the spaces reflects a flexibility and subtle hierarchy. While the lower inner cave-like basement space offers the height of protection and intimacy, the upper level connects outward through the large spanning glass and encourages an abundance of natural light inward. Adding a refined and sharpness to the more weighted materials is the insertion of brass metal fittings, while white oak joinery offers a subtlety in texture. The interplay with light, throughout the day and across the seasons then allows the home to change and respond accordingly, inciting differing moods and levels of intimacy.

The reductionist approach sees few materials on site, further enhancing a sense of being wrapped in the one material.

Silver Linings House combines a sustainable approach through imbedded systems at the core of its creation, offering itself as a two-sided insertion, both weighted and robust, while also being responsive and non-reliant. Rachcoff Vella Architect’s clear vision and dedication to a cohesive whole sees a seamless result of a protective and lasting home.