Boulevard Beach House

Zen Architects completed Ocean Boulevard to evoke the fond memory of an elevated timber beach house for this Australian abode.

  • area / size 1,938 sqft
  • Year 2012
  • Location Torquay, Australia,
  • Type House,
  • By referencing the simple, elegant forms and practical, efficient spaces we have designed something entirely new yet surprisingly familiar.

    The house is designed to harness the sun whilst providing shelter from the extreme weather of Bass Strait that rolls in and collides with the cliffs of the surf beach just across the road. Incredible sea views are captured through carefully considered apertures without loss of privacy to the street.

    By utilising a similar footprint to the original house, we were able to retain the existing garden including several mature trees delivering a strong connection to its local environment. The stained cypress pine weatherboard cladding is designed to age gracefully to a silver gray embedding the house within the already established landscape.

    A restrained, natural material palette of recycled timber joinery, local hardwood timber floors and goats’ wool carpet create warm and inviting interiors offering a sense of being in and surrounded by the natural world.

    Design: Zen Architects
    Photography: Gorta Yuuki