More frequently holiday homes are becoming little more than transplanted suburban ugliness; the great Australian tradition of the ‘shack’ is in danger of being superseded by bloated mansions with four bathrooms and all the trappings of modern life. Additional spaces were plugged in and layered to provide the extra accommodation and living spaces required, in character with holiday living. Overall, the planning offers a versatility and range of spaces that allows three generations to co-inhabit. The connection to the surrounding landscape was particularly well handled through the use of theatrical elements such as the day bed with retractable curtain that opens up to the external deck, and the glass-walled and roofed shower pod—giving a sense of showering up in the trees.
According to Andrew Maynard Architects : “Our clients came to us with a brief for ‘much more room’ for their aging family holiday home. Our response was a series of finely-crafted timber boxes nestled around the bulk of the existing house. The bedroom addition opens up the northern facade of the house to the rugged bush block, doing double duty as the roof becomes an expansive deck to extend the living space out into the treetops. Other additions include extra storage space and a glass-ceiling shower for more of those precious tree-top views. With this project we wanted to celebrate the shack and have kept close to the original building’s footprint to avoid taking over the rugged coastal block. ”
