Reinterpretation of the Coastal Home Aesthetic - Tidal Arc by Woods Bagot, Hecker Guthrie & Simone Haag

The result of a collaboration between Woods Bagot, Hecker Guthrie and Simone Haag, Tidal Arc curiously challenges the anticipated Australian coastal aesthetic, taking inspiration taken from the rugged and dark rudiments of the adjacent cliff-face as its muse.

Sprawled over 800sqm and across two levels, Tidal Arc sees sweeping walls and a sprawling glazed façade all hinged together from a series of radiating exposed timber beams. The home is a play on restraint and exposure, compression and release. Common to many a coastal home, the central idea of the hearth as ‘home’ is celebrated. The place of ultimate refuge, from the mundane of the working week, the stresses of the every day, the hearth is the summoning warmth of this coastal escape. The opening and closing of spaces, to the view and to its changing function helps infuse a true sense of connection to its terrain.

Tidal Arc sees sweeping walls and a sprawling glazed façade all hinged together from a series of radiating exposed timber beams.

The priorities of a traditional non-permanent home have been challenged, from the architectural form and material robustness, the interior texturally articulated and layered approach, to the sense of luxury infused in each of the curated pieces throughout. Not surprisingly, the coming together of Woods Bagot, Hecker Guthrie and Simone Haag is responsible. With their eclectic yet equally curious approaches to space, form and experience, their collaborative history speaks volumes, and Tidal Arc is the latest expression of their shared vision.

Tidal Arc curiously challenges the anticipated Australian coastal aesthetic.

The curated material selection, refined detailing and custom joinery, all aim to rethink the intrinsic benefits of our need to be connected to nature, and the importance of the coastal escape as city dwelling increases. Taking cues from the rugged and uncompromising landscape it sits among, the design approach for Tidal Arc dismantles the traditional (and expected) Australian Coastal abode typology. With references to the dark, ominous cliff and stoic elements that comprise the coast, there is a deliberate departure from the ocean, as the anticipated inspiration. The result is a palette of dark and textural timbers, stones, textiles and refined metals.

The priorities of a traditional non-permanent home have been challenged.

Woods Bagot’s architectural exoskeleton proposes a series of spaces with vistas toward the views beyond through a massed boldness. Working in harmony with this, ideas around hierarchy, concealing and revealing and creating performance internally, were introduced with Hecker Guthrie and Simone Haag. The joinery is comprised of a handsomely concealed back-kitchen, and a more sculptural front island that encourages engagement and conversation. The approach to the more discreet and functionally quiet spaces though, is more modest; materiality is darker, views limited, and a sense of refuge from the landscape is created.

Challenging expectations of the coastal home typology, Tidal Arc in fact enhances the response to the landscape through the very fact it is designed as a refuge from the harsh environment. Designed to withstand the elements, it becomes one with the landscape in which it rests.