Fairhaven Beach House Case Study

Background of Designer and their Environment:

John Wardle is an Australian architect whose first notable work began in the 1990’s. Wardle graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with a degree in Architecture and established an office for his practice in 1986. The office is John Wardle Architects (JWA) which designs a variety of projects ranging from residential to large and complex projects for significant organizations, primarily within Melbourne (Process - Collaboration). The firm is known for contextualizing its projects within the surrounding and implementing a feel for nature. Exaggeration has also been criticism of JWA and will be examined in this discussion.

With the foci of contextualization and nature, it is meaningful

The award-winning* Fairhaven Beach House is located on top of the ridgeline above the Great Ocean Road on the Victorian coastline. (*Robin Boyd Award Winner for Residential Architecture by the Australian Institute of Architecture in November 2013) Constructed in 2012 as a resident for a professional couple, the site features a panoramic views over the southern ocean and surf beach below. The house winds around a protected central courtyard, which creates an outdoor space sheltered from the harsh prevailing winds. The house is also U-Shaped to provide privacy for the area in the courtyard. As one take the path from the main entrance to a large living room there is a dramatic progression through the building, passing by a cantilevered study and through a pivoting asymmetric door. "It is a dynamic, fluid journey through the house from arrival to the ocean view, it is choreographed to increase anticipation before reaching the main living space" said the architects. The large kitchen and dining room is located on the north side of the house and projects even further towards the coastline. The kitchen also features a secluded balcony that provides an opportunity to dine outside. The material for the outdoor structure of the house is clad

In traditional Melbourne architecture we see that the majority of buildings are constructed with red or gray brick, this is because of the stylistic composition of Victorian style used in urbanized buildings. Most of these buildings are residential or public housing complexes and the brick gives them a more comfortable and domestic look. The majority of projects created by John Wardle Architects use little to no brick instead they rely heavily on wood and glass to make the buildings look more modern. One project created by JWA, Flagstaff Crisis Accommodation Centre, is the only project that uses bricks as the main source of material for the building. The reason for this is because the building is an inner-city responsive center, which provides short-term accommodation and support for homeless men. This is extremely similar to traditional Melbourne architecture due to the fact that this building was created for residential purposes. In Melbourne the use of red brick is known as a residential material therefore the use of this material by John Wardle Architects conveys the idea of residential living. John Wardle Architects also uses wood and glass for residential projects but those projects are mostly individual homes rather than large residential