Heaven Sent

There are very few places in the world where you can live on a secluded beach at the edge of a national park, where access to your house is only by boat, yet you’re just one hour from a major city. Such is the beauty and location of Hart House on Great Mackerel Beach. The small community in Sydney’s Northern Beaches is on the western shore of Pittwater in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It is reached via a short, 10-minute ferry ride from Palm Beach – yet it feels a world away.

The owners of this property were, understandably, drawn to its unique location, and their brief to Casey Brown Architecture for a simple one-bedroom home harks back to the classic New Zealand bach, with only two material requirements: “They loathed plaster board, so the interior is warm timber ply, and they wanted a concrete kitchen island bench,” says Rob Brown, director of Casey Brown Architecture. “Everything else was over to us.”

Rob knows Great Mackerel Beach well, having lived there for 20 years and designed three other houses in the area. He is familiar with the microclimate, steep site, bushfire compliance and the need for all materials and equipment to be transported by barge and carried up the site to be manoeuvred into place – all of which influenced the design and construction.

Framed by the trees, Hart House appears to nestle into the steep slope behind it. A corrugated aluminium shell envelops the prefabricated steel frame to protect the house against bushfires and the maritime environment. The curved corners ensure no embers can collect, and the shell extends beyond the front façade to provide sun-shading and create a sheltered feel inside. Rob associates this idea with a sea shell: “It protects the animal inside from the weather, sun, wind and fire,” he says.

Sandstone excavated from the site is used for the retaining walls that terrace down to the beachfront and to clad the ground floor, creating a plinth for the double-height storey above. The master bedroom and ensuite are on this lower level, while upstairs is one large, open room that accommodates the kitchen, dining and lounge, as well as a second bathroom and loft for guests.

Located towards the rear of the room, the dining area has a more intimate sense of space due to the pitch of the ceiling. This becomes more open and exposed towards the front as the pitched ceiling meets the top of the glazed façade. This high ceiling and the glass wall allow for spectacular views across the water towards Barrenjoey Headland – and with the good fortune of being oriented north-east, the room receives sunlight throughout the day, benefiting from solar heat gain during the cooler months and shading during the summer. A hooded window projects from the top north-west corner to capture the light before the sun descends behind the mountains, and louvres allow for cross ventilation.

The cubic form of the window is repeated in the timber boxes that protrude from the kitchen wall to exhibit ceramic pieces made by the owner. A mirror along this wall reflects the glorious view, making sure it can be seen from every corner and space of the room. A second bathroom is enclosed in a timber box behind the kitchen with a sleeping loft above. It is accessed via ladder and timber fins provide a barrier while still allowing in the light.

Large sliding glass opens the living area to the balcony along which a chain link wraps around a polished stainlesssteel handrail to provide a minimalist, transparent design. “It maximises the view – without interfering [in] it – and is a nod to the stainless steel on boats,” says Rob. A platform above the balcony serves as an awning to obstruct the sun in summer, as well as providing a scaffold for the window cleaner.

Solar panels, two rainwater tanks and on-site waste processing make Hart House largely self-sufficient. Spotted gum was selected for the flooring, decking, and door and window frames due to its sustainability credentials and bushfire resistance. “It’s a green building, without being a capital G,” says Rob. “It’s just a great building that does a lot of things and the clients are living in heaven.”