The “big Australian dream” was for decades to own a quarter hectare block with an independent house and a back yard.
But today – with a real estate crisis, rising living costs and climate change in the mix – this dream is no longer a reality for many Australians.
This social and cultural context was at the head of one of Megowan Architectural's latest projects: a new building for a young family in the Victoria coast in Barwon Heads.
After the owners were lucky enough to actually secure an empty quarter of the morning block, they took the chance to create a contemporary version of this dream of the old school in a way that reflects their lifestyle and brings the practicality into harmony with sustainable life.
“They did not want unnecessary extravagance, but a functional, simple and thoughtful design that matches their ambient values,” says architect Christopher Megowan.
“They also wanted a family -friendly home that was connected to nature and at the same time maintained a strong feeling of harmony with the coastal landscape.”
Christopher looked at design inspiration both in the past and in the present.
The resulting apartment, which was built from recycled creams, appears almost as an authentic building in the middle of the century, whereby the typography of a retro beach house with its clear lines, a skillion roof with low search and natural materials being channeled.
However, what you cannot see at a glance is the commitment of the house for sustainability.
Passive design candidates influenced the use of thermally broken windows and rigid insulation. The Skillion roof maximizes the north sun, and on the south side the walls of the brick veneer stabilize around the inner temperatures of the house over the course of the year.
“These elements work together to reduce the ecological effects of the house and ensure that it remains energy -efficient,” says Christopher.
There is also a rainwater collection system and a permaculture setup with a vegetarian stain made of wick beds and chickens.
Inside, Tasmanian Oak Timber exposes to the ground and ceiling and improves the warmth of the building and the nostalgic character.
The project has a certain inconspicuous elegance that Christopher described the “thousand -year dream house”. It is equal and relatively accessible, with the boxes can be a well -designed, modern family house.
“It may probably be probably, but I think this house would be resonance among many in our generation,” he says.
'Millennials have experienced immense technological and social changes, and many long after the digital separation of their childhood. This scratches at home, itching. It is modest, inexpensive and yet architecturally ambitious-a calm rebellion against McMansions. '
“Simply put, what kind of millennial does not want a light house near the beach with a vegetarian patch and chickens?”