Drawing on the character of the local vernacular and offering a strong connection to nature and its surroundings, the Beach Shack by Norup + Wilson is the embodiment of a fundamental shift in apartment typology.
With architecture and interiors by Plus Architecture the building is cutting-edge with no podium, a dedicated Uber pick up/drop off area, innovative slab edges and sliding car bays – a first of its kind in Western Australian apartment buildings.
Modern in design, the building reflects the local grain of its Scarborough surrounds and offers a low scale residential solution to provide a more intimate and personalised experience to residents. Comprising 99 one, two and three bedroom dwellings across two buildings, the Project has been meticulously crafted to suit a range of palates.
Located adjacent to the beach in Scarborough, Western Australia, the development is instilled with coastal references of the dunes, the sea and the waves through the use of sinuous lines and organic shapes. A continuous ceramic frit band at each floor alludes to the white breakers whipped up by the afternoon sea breeze and the fluidity and energy of the ocean. The edge profile of surfboards has been modelled and used as inspiration to provide the organic shape of the floor plate and slab edges; with the organic patterns depicted from the tidal flow of water against the sand and the section of a breaking wave.
As Plus Architecture Director and lead designer Patric Przeradzki explained few multi-residential apartment buildings in Australia provided uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean and direct pedestrian access to the sand dunes and beach.
“This development is unique in many ways; it provides unobstructed access to the beach with most apartments boasting an external terrace and bedrooms arranged to maximise ocean views from the comfort of your bed head,” Patric said.
One of the most innovative features of the building is that no podium was used in the design process. Plus Architecture modelled the site with a podium but the team felt it would not provide any relief and block views of the Indian Ocean from Westcoast Highway, hindering the experience for residents.
“It was challenging to provide a desirable design outcome of a three -storey podium for a long and narrow site,” Patric explained.
“By removing the podium, we were able to activate the ground plane – opening up the area and making it light and bright, while retaining the beautiful views of the Indian Ocean,” he said.
Warm finishes and textures on the ground plane combined with biophilic design of native plant species creates an experience that is unique to Western Australia. Residents are provided with an intuitive wayfinding to the beach and the material palette to the common areas comprise of composite timber battens, stone paving, native plants and loose stones to reflect the adjacent sand dune landscape.
“The intention is for residents to be able to walk barefoot from their apartment to the beach, go for a swim or surf, shower on return and hang their wetsuit up in the common drying area before returning to their apartment,” Patric said.
Keeping with the coastal location, there are also outdoor showers at the beach access entrance, as well as a separate storage area for surf skis and surf boards. Ceiling heights in the car park have also been considered to allow residents to tie surf skis or surfboards to the roof racks of their cars.
Northern and southern spaces offer communal areas including a residents’ lounge, dining and function room, pool and table tennis, outdoor BBQ areas and a yoga zone. A north facing amenity provides an area for quiet daytime activities, while the south facing amenity zone caters for evening activities with ocean views of summer sunsets.
The building has intentionally not been fully glazed to create an energy efficient building envelope which provides shade and protection from the elements. Passive cooling has been provided through exposed concrete soffits and overhanging slab edges.
The interiors have been designed with earthy and beach colours and the apartments offer cross ventilation and extensive natural light.
Dedicated bands within the facade and the ground floor will serve as a canvas for art – with Plus Architecture working closely with selected Western Australian artists to incorporate this artwork into the design process to create an exclusive public art gallery for the residents.
Norup + Wilson Director Dave Wilson said every design element has been considered with the resident in mind; from the range of communal activities and entertainment areas, through to the addition of a man shed with work benches and assorted power tools for people who are downsizing to be closer to the city.
“The Beach Shack offers a strong sense of place and tactile connection that creates a truly tailored ambience for its residents and guests, while complementing its beach front location,” he said.
Other features of the Beach Shack include:
- Designed to achieve high environmental efficiency standards;
- Extensive cross ventilation and natural light with solar passive design;
- Latest technology to the building (keyless entry door locks; fibre optic and interconnected building backbone, remotely controllable lights etc.);
- Bin chutes (general waste and recycling) which is uncommon for low rise apartments;
- Sliding car bays (unit dependent) – tandem bays but the front car slides sideways on
a platform; - Acoustic and thermal insulation levels that exceed the normal standards.
Project Details:
Client: Norup + Wilson
Scope: Masterplanning, Interiors and Architecture
Status: Anticipated commencement of piling September 2018