Cheat sheet
Who lives here Kara Considine, who works in HR; her husband Chris Briggs; their children: Annabel, 11, Jemima, nine, and Eliza, eight; plus Winifred the toy cavoodle and Coral the Siamese fighting fish.
Style of home A five-bedroom (plus studio) new build in Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula, south-west of Melbourne. Construction took 23 months from January 2017, when the existing home was demolished, through to December 2018.
Although wrapped in a dark and angular shell, this monolithic residence on the tip of Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula is anything but severe. Instead, a vast interior coated in soft, touchable surfaces, topped with a warming lid of engineered European oak and lit from within by a grand void and floor-to-ceiling windows, elevates this family home to epic new heights. The owners, Kara and Chris, purchased the existing property in 2016, attracted to the land and its close proximity to the beach, river and village centre, as well as being in one of their favourite streets. Architecture firm Auhaus was brought in almost immediately to begin planning, as the older property was demolished to make way for the new in 2017. “The brief was for a home that was open to the outdoors and garden area,” says Kara. “We wanted the house to have zones that felt intimate and connected, but without making it feel like one big room.”
Given the house’s beachside location, future-proofing the home to combat a rising sea level was an essential step in the design process. “It was important to think about what climate change could mean for the area,” admits Kara. “We decided it was prudent to build the floor higher than building regulations required.” The couple also took advantage of the expansive flat roof, installing solar panels to make full use of the northerly aspect. “The architect was very clever in the way they designed the house to maximise the seasons,” says Kara. “In winter, the low sun penetrates all the downstairs living areas, keeping them warm, but in summer the shades on one side of the house cut out the rays.”
While Kara was on board with Auhaus’s vision for a concrete structure from day one, Chris wasn’t so sure. However, the soft marble effect of the poured-on-site concrete won him over in the end, with Kara relishing the added character. To soften the harsher materials, European oak was used to clad several walls and the ceilings throughout, creating a warm embrace that emphasised the bold angles of the void and cantilevered upper level. What followed was a considered palette of lush textures with gentle flourishes of pink and green. “I knew those were the colours we wanted on repeat,” explains Kara. “We love how the green continues on into the garden, and the pink softens the masculinity of the concrete and aluminium fins of the exterior.”
Now, with the family spending a lot more time at home than originally planned, they’ve been able to truly experience the joy of what they’ve created. “The house is perfect for our family and strikes a really good balance between communal living and having your own space when you need it. Our home has a special quality that makes you relax as soon as you enter the doors.”
Auhaus Architecture is at auhaus.com.au. Builders Larkin & Drought are at ldhomes.com.au. Find DMC Concrete Art @dmc_concrete_art