Oceanfront House

The brief

Steep block home design can hide a lot from the street. From the driveway this reads as a single storey home: a restrained, English-style facade sitting low and settled on the block. The house is set so precisely into the site that the front shows one level, while three step down behind it.

Walk through and the design shifts entirely. A contemporary, glass-heavy form drops down the site, and each level is planned for the same thing: ocean views from every bedroom. It is a result only possible through site-specific design, and proof that a difficult block rewards the right response.

Type

Oceanfront home

Site

Steep coastal block

Levels

One to the street, three to the ocean

Year

2012

Steep block home design with an ocean view from every bedroom

On a steep block, the instinct is often to build up. This design does the opposite and steps down, keeping a modest face to the street while the full home opens towards the ocean.

Each level is planned around the outlook, and the glass-heavy rear form makes the most of it, while the street side stays quiet and private. Steep sites are where the studio does some of its best work.

Good steep block home design is as much about what you don't see. Setting the house into the slope keeps its bulk away from the street and the neighbours, while giving the rooms behind it the height and outlook the site allows.

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