Project: Sunset Retreat
Architects: Peter Stutchbury Architecture
Project architect: Fernanda Cabral
Location: Manyana, New South Wales, Australia
Photography: Michael Nicholson
Sunset Retreat, Manyana situated on Inyadda Headland overlooking Inyadda Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Sunset House is a stunning adults retreat designed by The Australian Institute of Architects 2015 Gold Medalist Peter Stutchbury.
The house incorporates external areas within the overall living space to provide usable outdoor areas regardless of weather. Accommodations are predominantly single storey, with a small portion of the building being 2 storey at the eastern end of the house to accommodate the master bedroom and its facilities on the lower ground with the living room on the ground floor. Sunset Retreat has been designed to manage views and solar access and to provide privacy to both occupants and neighbours.
The design features a simple and clear layout composed of a succession of rooms interposed to open out onto landscaped areas. The layout resembles a small pavilion where landscape is intertwined with the building. Access to the main areas of the building is through a courtyard and a series of open walkways. These have the ability of directing the views to the sea whilst linking the different functional elements of the house in a holistic manner.
In the words of the architect: Sunset Retreat is a deliberate shift away from the drive toward uninspiring and insensitive big houses. Its sympathetic form and materials along with a respectful scale introduces a building which is entirely obvious for the site.
