Project: Crescent Head House
Architecture: Madeleine Blanchfield Architects
Team: Madeleine Blanchfield, Ben Wollen
Location: Crescent Head, New South Wales, Australia
Year: 2018
Photo Credits: Robert Walsh
Designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, the Crescent Head house is a minimalist one-bedroom dwelling tailored for a couple. The residence showcases expansive and versatile interiors, reflecting a harmonious blend of simplicity, functionality, and aesthetic refinement.
At first glance from the street, the house presents itself as a straightforward single-story weatherboard structure. It is elevated on a stone base that transitions to accommodate a separate 3-bedroom guest apartment on the garden side.
The interior layout of the main house is characterized by an open and fluid spatial arrangement, minimizing traditional boundaries between the bedroom, bathroom, and other living areas. Given its purpose for a couple, the conventional division of rooms was deemed unnecessary.
Upon entering, residents and guests are greeted by a sky-lit entry area and a glass-fronted door, creating an inviting yet understated facade. This design choice fosters a sense of warmth and welcome while maintaining a subtle street presence. Throughout the interior, an abundance of natural light contributes to a feeling of spaciousness and airiness.
The highlight of the interior design is the vaulted timber ceilings that radiate from the entry area, accentuating the breathtaking views of the ocean and mountains. This architectural feature not only amplifies the connection with the surrounding landscape but also adds a touch of natural elegance to the living spaces, creating a serene and harmonious environment for the residents.
The house is located on a hill nestled amongst other houses. There are many pitched roofs in the surrounding context. We took the pattern of pitching visible from a distance and inverted it. The house has a flat roof line but the angled underside relates to the surrounding structures.
Planning controls in the local area have recently changed and the height / bulk permitted on our site is distinctly greater than the existing neighbouring dwellings. We had to work to minimise the obtrusiveness of the house while maximising the clients amenity and responding to the existing conditions. It is likely that existing adjacent dwellings will be upgraded and made larger so this had to be factored in.
The house is honest and humble from the street with an increasing sense of drama as the main living space, with its playfully folded timber ceiling, is revealed.
The voluminous spaces enhance the appreciation of views and natural surroundings. Entering the main space on has a sense of arrival and of a shedding of the outside world to arrive in a private but open and joyful cocoon.
The lower level apartment has polished concrete floors, Australian hardwood internal doors and solid timber benches and details in the bathrooms. It has a large, high ceilinged living/dining/kitchen space which blurs the boundary between inside and outside and has a sense of living in the outdoors/camping.
The project treats the house as a whole, rather than separating the interiors and the architecture. Its use of materiality and volume are driven by the site, views, sunlight and the environment. Cross ventilation, solar protection, heat sinks and the use of locally sourced materials were all fundamental to the design. Raw concrete floors and minimal finishes in bathrooms address the brief for a pared back and honest character. They are also thoughtfully sustainable in the minimal wastage and layering of materials over each other. The budget was also kept down by minimising the layering and superficiality of materials.
The construction and materials are simple, cost effective but impeccably detailed. Working remotely with local builders and joiners required sensitivity to the techniques and materials available for use and efficient communication of the design intent.
