Our brief was to design a modern home which would utilize the elevated site, the ocean views and the cooling breeze.
The design intent was to design the house with the ability to cross ventilate, by leaving windows and doors open whilst also mitigating against driven rain and security concerns. This was achieved in part by the use of eyelids around the windows on the upper level. We created a double height atrium giving the horizontal circulation space, at the back of the house, a visual connection to the ocean. We placed internal windows in the bedrooms to allow cross ventilation from the bedroom into the atrium. The atrium is then able to purge heat build up via the high levels windows.
The vertical circulation, or what we now call the stair tower, was articulated within the design by cladding the external walls with timber siding. This stair tower was also pushed further out from the building envelope so that we were able to add two long vertical corner windows. In doing so, we provided a visual connection to the surrounding ocean when using the stair case.