Jury citation
In recent years, the backstreets of Barwon Heads on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula have become something of a proving ground for adventurous architecture. Beach houses often provide the right mix of freedom and ambition to allow relatively modest budgets to shine. They need to be robust enough to deal with sun, wind, sand and salt, but they also need to be adaptable enough to accommodate guests, with spaces that enable people to come together as well as to retreat. A perfect example, AB House achieves this with the addition of a guest “wing” at the rear, connected via an inset central deck.
Striking a wonderful balance between embracing the honest use of simple materials and providing modern amenity, this is a grown-up fibro beach shack. Faced with a flood-prone site requiring an elevated floor plate, the architect has taken maximum advantage of the benefits of steel to design a graceful, lightweight structure that sits confidently above the landscape. Small-format corrugated steel is interwoven with corrugated fibreglass, all framed in an exposed galvanized frame. The result is a consistent, familiar language that still feels innovative. Internally, the galvanized upper-floor frame is pulled back to allow light to wash down the walls and the upstairs bedroom to float above.
AB House is located in Barwon Heads, Victoria on Wadawurrung Country and was reviewed by Alexa Kempton in Houses 149.
Project credits
Architect: Office Mi–Ji; Project team: Millie Anderson, Jimmy Carter; Builder: David Webb Building Solutions; Structural engineer: Keith Long and Associates; Building surveyor: PLP Building Surveyors and Consultants; Town planner: Sincock Planning; ESD consultant: Greencheck
