Coastal eco-bungalow bucks the trend for sprawling suburban developments in Australia

Australian design studio Bourne Blue Architecture is bucking the trend for large suburban developments at a popular coastal village with their design of an environmentally sensitive yet luxurious bungalow.

Located at Blueys Beach on the mid-north coast of NSW, the chic timber dwelling offers all the comforts of a relaxing holiday retreat while minimizing energy usage. Clad in sustainably sourced timber and high-performance glass, the Blueys Beach House 4 overlooks lush landscape views and emphasizes indoor and outdoor living.

While the original weather-beaten homes on Bluesy Beach comprise simple fibro or weatherboard structures, the new buildings that take their place are often large suburban homes that “have little recognition of place and relate poorly to the immediate context,” write the architects. When the clients commissioned Bourne Blue Architecture for their new home, they asked for a modest dwelling that “fit in well with the context,” retained the existing pair of large Angophora trees, and made the most of the views of the grassland and forested hills at the rear.

The architects responded with the 119-square-meter Blueys Beach House, an L-shaped building that grouped the three bedrooms into a rectangular mass to the northeast, and positioned the open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen to the southwest. The sleeping quarters and communal area are connected via an indoor/outdoor patio and the home is accessed through the spacious carport. Large high-performance windows and sliding doors punctuate the rooms to give the home a sense of openness and are strategically arranged to preserve privacy.

Sustainably sourced timber dominates the material palette. Other materials for the home, such as the polished concrete floors and external stone pathways, were chosen for their resistance to corrosion, value, and how they related to the village context. The folded zigzag roof facilitates rainwater harvesting for reuse in the bathrooms, laundry, and irrigation. Correctly oriented for thermal mass, the energy-efficient home is equipped with heavy insulation and is heated by heat pump-based hot water technology.