CplusC Architectural Workshop – not all about the view

The property, leased from the nearby Roman Catholic Church, replaced a fairly modest two-bedroom 1960s bungalow – a mismatch within the spectacular surrounds. “Our brief really focused on sustainable issues rather than looking for the ‘hero’ view,” says architect Clinton Cole, director of the practice, pointing out the freshwater swimming pool reliant on plants to filter the water. “In some ways, they (the clients) pushed us out of our comfort zone,” he adds.

So, the Holocene House as it’s referred to, does not have any artificial air-conditioning and the hydronic heating embedded in the burnished concrete floors is at a constant temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. And rather than plasterboard, there’s low or zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) with the interior finishes. Even the kitchen joinery is ‘one out of the box’, made from Paperock, a compressed cardboard.

However, beyond the finishes and materials, including charred timber, there’s a different approach from the traditional floorplan. The main living areas, for example, feature a parents’ living area at one end, adjacent to the kitchen, with the children’s zone and a craft/television area separated by a protected courtyard – with sliding doors disappearing into cavity walls depending on whether the house is left open or closed down, the latter being more prevalent during the colder months of the year.

Pivotal to the design is the Mondrian-style structure that covers the freshwater pool – a combination of wired panels, glass and fibre reinforced plastic panels that allow for creepers. This idea was partially driven by the initial conversation with the owners, who provided images of the family wading through streams under a dense tree canopy on one of their travels. “It’s partly those memories but there’s also a subtle nod to the leadlight used for the church,” says Clinton, who also took his design cue from the sandstone wall that separates the site from the national park beyond.

Working with landscape architects Duncan Gibbs and also Julien Roy from Landforms, who was also responsible for the swimming pool, also created an immersive experience rather than the more hermetically sealed palazzos that are starting to emerge in the Northern Beaches.

The doors to the bedrooms are more akin to Shoji screens, often left open to allow the deck to feel part of the space. “The owners were keen for the children not to lock themselves away and continually be on their devices,” says Clinton, who was as mindful of who was the first to wake up in the morning. With the parents being the ones who rise early, he placed the main bedroom orientated due east, allowing the children not to be disturbed until they wake sometime later.

There was also the brief to create a home office for the owner, one where he could retreat for work – now since retired and enjoying time to be on his own as much as with the family. Likewise, the brief went against the grain for a large sealed garage commonly found in the area. Instead, there’s an open carport with room for the family’s bikes. “We’re off the grid here,” says Clinton, who enjoyed being pushed out of his normal comfort zone and working with clients who saw the ‘bigger picture’ – beyond the views of the ocean to the more curated vignettes offered by the site, with dappled as much as clear light creating a unique experience.

You can find out more about CplusC Architectural Workshop on their website or Instagram. Photography by Renata Dominik and Felix Mooneeram. Words by Stephen Crafti.