Issue 68

It is with great excitement that green magazine presents its first-ever regional and coastal issue. The six houses featured in this issue showcase Australia’s vast and varied landscape and the acumen of architects who have seized the opportunities and challenges presented by their unique sites.

Union between the built and natural environments is championed in Bellbird Retreat, a refuge in mountainous south-east Queensland designed by Brisbane’s Steendijk.

Meanwhile in coastal Victoria, a multi-generational family beach house by Kennedy Nolan reflects the close relationship between architect and client, echoed by the synergy between the design and its site.

In Victoria’s Hepburn region, client Liz Butler presented an irresistible brief to architect Adam Kane: a small, sustainable home that reflects the heritage of the area with a contemporary design sensibility.

In NSW, Casey Brown Architecture also took on a modest brief to deliver a one-bedroom home on a beach-side site that calls a national park its neighbour and can only be accessed by boat.

On the outskirts of a Queensland coastal township, Spinnaker House by Sparks Architects becomes one with the elements by adjusting to make the most of sunlight, breezes and views.

In the hinterland of northern NSW, a collaboration between architect Kirstin Burrowes and builder Jeremy Beresford has resulted in a base for the owner’s revegetation efforts and incentive for family relocation.

In Canberra, Bush Projects joined forces with Austin Maynard Architects to reinvigorate a historically-significant home’s garden. And in Woodend, Victoria, Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design have reintroduced a family’s back garden as a hub for play and leisure.

In Hobart, Hearth Studio and design-loving, creative clients have created luxury accommodation that goes by the rather evocative name of Slow Beam.