Sustainable Coastal Living - St Andrews Beach House by Austin Maynard Architects

With no retail and restaurant high street in sight, the idea of being completely disconnected was of high priority for the client, as was a maintained level of comfort. Andrew says, “beach houses exist for simple relaxation, an escape from the city, for quietude and downtime with family and friends”. Its location abutting a national park and in close proximity to the foreshore allow for this remove. On approach, mentions Andrew, “a single cylinder concrete water tank acts as a gateway marker to the beach house, from here onwards you leave cars, the road, your troubles and everything else behind”.

On a site just over 8000 sqm, the house itself sits lightly at 140 sqm making its impact and footprint minor. Although as Andrew says, unlike the traditional bach, there are “no found materials here as the costs became prohibitive – quality reclaimed materials are expensive”, however, “the shack is constructed from new materials, but those robust, class one timbers will age and grey quickly, allowing the shack to increasingly retreat into the dunes”.

With all of Austin Maynard’s projects there is an underlying dedication to the sustainable, and this is no exception. As Andrew says, “the only energy that enters the site is green energy. The sustainable choice is to stay connected to the grid and, if possible, pump more green energy back into the grid than you use”. This means that “St Andrews Beach House is all set up for battery installation, and once the tech/cost equation adds up in the very near future” the property can be in the positive as a green energy generator.

Planned to be open and malleable internally, the focus is clearly on the exterior views and aspect. The interior is based on expressing the exterior materiality, divided with moveable screens that replace permanence with a sense of flow. Maximising its location in amongst the dunes, and embracing, as Andrew says, “the robust vegetation and the sound of crashing waves”, this really is an idyllic escape. Austin Maynard’s approach has always been centred on a playful inventiveness, and as Andrew summarises “we want people’s lives to be a little better simply because they occupied a space we created”.

St Andrews Beach House embodies all of the principles of a low maintenance, relaxing abode. Built on being a place of essentialism, deeply connected to its location, it is about leaving behind most conveniences, whilst still maintaining the comforts. In this way, the St Andrews Beach House is a successful exercise in reconsidering the coastal home.