Burnt Earth Beach House

With the coastal landscape of his childhood as his muse, renowned architect John Wardle designed the perfect home for his own family: Burnt Earth Beach House. Perched on the edge of a cliff, the design focuses on capturing sunlight and framing specific views of the coast. In order to help manage the flow of sunlight into the abode, Shade Factor’s shade solutions were integrated.

GALLERY  

With the original build partially burnt in the Ash Wednesday fires, the new design of the two-storey build connects the home to its surroundings by mirroring the rugged landscape. The exterior of terracotta bricks echoes the natural colours of the cliffs, each individual brick bearing its own distinct texture and glaze. “The colour and tonality of the house is part of that equation, as is the massing of the house where I pushed all the two-storey parts up into this coastal edge,” Wardle notes.

The interiors continue this material theme, creating a seamless connection between inside and out. The house’s layout features large, open spaces with a single roof that spans from the dining area to a higher-level living room, creating the perfect perch for enjoying the view.

“The design of this house does two things. It’s a device for chasing the sunlight and establishing the sociability of the house around the movement of the sun through different times of the day,” Wardle explains.

A key consideration of the renovation was thermal performance, with special attention paid to insulation, window placement and shading. With large windows and sliding doors making up a lot of the exterior of  Burnt Earth Beach House, careful planning was required to manage sunlight without inhibiting views. “With so much glazing, so specifically aligned with both the coastal views, this enables light to enter into the house from so many different angles,” says Wardle.

The solution: collaborating with Shade Factor to implement advanced shading options throughout the home. Each area of the house required a different approach based on the room’s function, the time of day and the intensity of the sun. Exterior blind systems were customised to ensure optimal light control without obstructing views of the landscape. “It’s a harsh condition that has to be managed for the house,” explains Wardle of the coastal environment and solar exposure.

Two fabric awning systems—drop arm awnings and vertical awnings—were installed over the glazing of the living areas to protect Wardle’s art and furnishings from direct sunlight. These tailored shading solutions ensure that the home remains comfortable and functional throughout the year while allowing its design to embrace the surrounding environment.

“The sophisticated blind systems that vary around the house all had to be managed with the specific nature of some very technical requirements that were delivered by Shade Factor.” This collaboration was instrumental in ensuring that the Burnt Earth Beach House maximised comfort and environmental performance without any cost to the overall aesthetic of the build.

Photography: Trevor Mein and Dan Preston

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