BORN OF BAUHAUS
The residents of this view finderesque home, perched atop the rolling hills of Buderim, Queensland, found their architect before they found a plot of land to build upon.
A South African couple bring their love of Bauhaus architecture to life on Queensland’s SUNSHINE COAST with the help of NORMAN RICHARDS, who created a strikingly simple design rising from rocky terrain to frame magnificent views. TAMARA SIMONEAU explores.
It was a leisurely drive around the coastal towns and hinterland villages that make up Australia’s idyllic Sunshine Coast that first connected the owners of this stunning home and its designer. Hannelie and Werner had recently migrated from South Africa and were out exploring their new backyard when they saw a residence that instantly impressed. They stopped to enquire after the architect, despite the fact they hadn’t yet found a block to build on.
The couple, both healthcare professionals, moved to Queensland with their two sons after a serendipitous holiday in 2006. “We travelled from Sydney to Cairns and immediately fell in love with the natural beauty and diversity of Australia,” says Werner. “We were especially fond of South East Queensland with its gorgeous beaches and relaxed lifestyle.”
Similar reasons prompted Canadian architect, Norman Richards, to make his own sea change to the area with his family following professional stints in Toronto and London. It was one of his projects that had stopped Hannelie and Werner in their tracks. “We’re both fans of the Bauhaus Movement. We were attracted to the simplicity of Norman’s designs and his ability to integrate a building into its surroundings,” explains Werner. Two and a half years later, the couple purchased a steep block on the side of Buderim Mountain,
a community built on and around a volcanic plateau rising 180 metres above the coast. Resulting views over the undulating tropical rainforest and the blending blues of ocean and sky beyond are a big drawcard to the area. Norman Richards was their first call. “When Norman first visited the site he immediately saw that the location should take centre stage,” recalls Werner.
“It was pretty remarkable for a suburban cul-de-sac site,” Norman concurs. “There were, however, some pretty serious constraints and in my research I found out two previous owners had attempted to build on the site and given up.”
The last block in a small enclave of hillside homes, it wasn’t hard to figure out why. “It had been used as a quarry and later as a dumping ground for rock and spoil when developing the subdivision,” says Norman. “Added to this, the 2600-sqaure-metre block was truncated by numerous easements for every manner of services.” It wasn’t going to be easy, but the clients were determined, and challenged Norman to create a design with “bold form, clean lines and simple materials” that would capitalise on the magnificent vistas without obstructing the views of neighbours or being overly large. And since the home would be below others further up the hill, privacy on the northern side was paramount.
Norman responded with a strikingly simple floating black metal box on top of a smaller white masonry box. “I wanted the house to increase the natural drama of the site through contrast between how it appears from the street – opaque and impermeable to glassy and transparent from inside,” he says.
“The initial idea was to arrive in a relatively small forecourt with no views and to then have the arrival sequence through the home slowly reveal the views,” he explains, “a tease in the foyer through a batten screen, then up the stairs to the high and open living space with the full panorama revealed.” He dubbed it “the squeeze and release” and his design-savvy clients loved it.
Upstairs a streamlined kitchen of walnut and Corian stretches the width of the home, with a grey-tinted ribbon window splashback and floor-to-ceiling glass on the front side. It opens to an oversized living and dining zone that becomes a pseudo-alfresco space when eight-metre-long glass doors retract into a wall cavity near the dining area. This was a more sensible alternative to a large outdoor deck, common in Queensland architecture. “Views are due south into the prevailing weather. It gets hammered by storms,” says Norman of the area’s severe summer storm period.
“As designers know, the challenge with minimalism is to rigorously control the details. Literally one screw can ruin the illusion of simplicity.”
Time fades the dramas of construction and what endures is a project that perfectly suits a family who knew what they wanted and went after it with gusto.
Beyond the Blackbutt staircase void is the master bedroom and ensuite, with an internal bath and vanity beside a shower that opens spectacularly to a verdant tropical canopy via wall-to-wall, one-way glass windows.
Downstairs is almost completely floor to ceiling glass on the front side, ticking the box for his client’s desire to capture views from every room. East of the front door, a hallway lined with clerestory ribbon windows provides the requisite light and privacy, leading past an office nook beyond the floating staircase and batten detail to the boys’ bedrooms and shared bathroom between. The only room without a view is a rumpus room below the master suite on the west side that doubles as a guest room with a built-in wall bed.
Hannelie has subtle nods to her homeland in her styling throughout, but has very deliberately kept spaces clutter-free. “The ever-changing, incredible views from all the living areas and bedrooms in the house draw your focus away from the interior,” she says.
The couple wanted the exterior to underscore the natural surrounds as well. Every detail was considered; sun and shade,
the topography of the neighbourhood; the distance between vertical lines on the aluminium-cladded upper floor. “The standing seams were hand-folded in situ and the vertical lines provide relief and texture to the exterior,” says Norman. “My goal is to have the architecture disappear. I don’t want it to get in the way of the setting or the owners’ lifestyle. Detailing is minimalist, the structure and fixtures are concealed,” he says. “As designers know, the challenge with minimalism is to rigorously control the details. Literally one screw can ruin the illusion of simplicity. The end result looks easy, effortless.”
Time fades the dramas of construction and what endures is a project that perfectly suits a family who knew what they wanted and went after it with gusto. “It’s easy when you share the same vision,” says Norman. “Hannelie was instrumental in ensuring nothing during the build got in way of that vision.”
“The boys have their own space downstairs and it is out of the way enough so that I don’t see their untidy rooms,” says Hannelie. “We spend our family time together at the dinner table every night and then they usually spend a lot of time in their rooms relaxing or doing homework at their desks. The house does not have any wasted space or rooms, we use it all.”