A Shared Impassioned Vision - Tamarama House by Bennett Murada Architects

Tamarama, NSW, Australia

Balancing the need for privacy and protection in a coastal setting and a desire to create a full immersion in the beauty of the location, Tamarama House sees Bennett Murada Architects approach the site through a considered lens.

Designed as an adaptable entity, Tamarama House is envisioned as a home to accommodate the growth of its current family, and a separate dwelling for extended family and friends. The focus of the design is clearly on the surrounding landscape, its abounding views and an approach to integrating with the site and its many living parts with compassion. Acknowledging the unique beauty of the location was the driver behind a naturalistic and refined classic palette of materiality. Meanwhile, a sense of the importance of inherent sustainability elements and methodologies is combined with a deliberate future-focused approach through integrated digital technology.

The focus of the design is clearly on the surrounding landscape, its abounding views and an approach to integrating with the site and its many living parts with compassion.

Built by Buildline Constructions and with landscape by Arcadia Landscape Architecture, the design and engineering team wanted to avoid a predictable approach to a site such as this, and avoid merely creating one expansive linear view. Instead, the experience of the home is broken down into a series of moments throughout, each focusing on framed vistas and an engagement with site on an individual level, as well as an engagement with materiality.

Situated in such a coastal setting, elements such as extreme weather, changes in wind and climate needed to be considered in both formal planning and material selection. The site is also adjacent to constant traffic and a consistent steam of pedestrians along nearby coastal pathways. The resulting home therefore needed to have a sense of separation and protection, and to ultimately feel like a place of recluse. While on one day the climatic conditions can be perfection, on others, the harshness of coastal weather can be astounding. In response to this, all structural and enclosure elements have a pedigree suitable to maritime conditions.

The experience of the home is broken down into a series of moments throughout, each focusing on framed vistas and an engagement with site on an individual level.

Emerging from a sandstone base, reclaimed hardwood, concrete and high-performance glazing comprise the front of the home. All elements of steel and paint known for their susceptibility to corrosion are purposely concealed. The resulting three-story home is anchored at the rear to the site through materiality and bulked form, stretching out toward the coastal front. A large terrace extends to the east and a pool courtyard space extends the living room. The glazed façade acts as a blurring of boundaries between the internal realm and the external area, connecting through light and lines of sight.

The glazed façade acts as a blurring of boundaries between the internal realm and the external area, connecting through light and lines of sight.

Tamarama House sees Bennett Murada Architects apply a sense of clarity through detailed execution and a considered approach to site and materiality. Harnessed through the collaborative approach by the client and the engaged professionals, the home is the result of a shared impassioned vision.

Harnessed through the collaborative approach by the client and the engaged professionals, the home is the result of a shared impassioned vision.