Mirrored Openness – The Marlin Villas by Shane Denman Architects

Exploring the potential of a suburban coastal site, Shane Denman Architects crafts The Marlin Villas – a pair of free-standing residences – from a mirrored planning and design philosophy. The architect integrates key moments of connection both internally and out toward the natural elements, bringing in natural light and sea breezes, which are synonymous with life in Palm Beach.

Spread over three generous levels, The Marlin Villas replaces an existing home on a suburban allotment. As an experiment in the possibilities of increased density in such areas where homes are progressively getting smaller and more tightly woven, the site is sub-divided into two accompanying residences. Both villas embody slight nuances to the exterior to allow for a sense of their own identity yet are bound by similar design philosophies. Opening the homes at the core and separating the two forms allows for clearer connections to both sun and ventilation. Shane Denman Architects encourages a passive energy consumption across both houses as a result, optimising the south-facing site.

As an experiment in the possibilities of increased density in such areas where homes are progressively getting smaller and more tightly woven, the site is sub-divided into two accompanying residences.

Navigating a sloping site, the street façades present as dual level homes, whilst to the rear, expanding floor plates are nestled into the terrain and the structures open over of the fall of the terrain. Facing the canal, the openness to water from the main living areas enhances connections to nature, whilst the screening at the front hints at a level of privacy within. Breaking up the overall mass of the forms, each level is distinct with a differing cladding, reducing an imposing feeling on site. Allowing for outdoor living to become a key element of the residential experience, glazed doors and partitions open, allowing the inner spaces to be naturally cooled and ventilated.

Constructed using stone, the residences’ robust and low maintenance materiality ensures longevity and grounds the homes. Referencing the original concrete block structures that previously stood, the continued solid expression of each house becomes a contemporary extension of that narrative from the 1970s. As a buffer to the linear nature of the comprising elements, the landscape design by Reserve Landscape is arranged as a series of subtropical destinations throughout and around the home. Ultimately, it is the circulation and movement that drove the approach to planning, with stairs and pathways connecting zones and allowing a middle floor to appear as though it is floating.

Allowing for outdoor living to become a key element of the residential experience, glazed doors and partitions open, allowing the inner spaces to be naturally cooled and ventilated.

Warm yet open, familiar nods to the previous homes in the area are woven into The Marlin Villas. Shane Denman Architects proposes a refreshing take on an existing vernacular whilst encouraging considered increased density without the need for compromise.