A Tropical Retreat

别墅

分类：别墅建筑

内容：实景照片

图片：8张


This house, spread over a hectare of tropical bushland, is the perfect retreat for a couple of city dwellers In contrast to their city apartment, this house is gently cradled by the landscape. Designed by architect Elizabeth Watson Brown, the 250-square-metre house is constructed of rendered concrete blocks, glass and timber. "I wanted to ensure sea views from every room and to make sure light could enter the house from every angle," says Watson Brown, To achieve these goals, the architect designed the house as four interlinked components. These include a main kitchen and living pavilion, a guest suite (with kitchen and bathroom), a separate library and a main bedroom. Instead of a central passage linking all these spaces, an internal/external walkway meanders between the enclosed areas and the garden areas. The walkway, made of concrete pavers embedded with river pebbles, is defined by large sliding glass window-walls. "They slide right back and you feel like you‘re walking in the garden. But you don‘t get wet when it rains (the walkways are covered)," says Watson Brown The clients, who had collected oriental textiles and artefacts over the years, were keen to create a Balinese feel in the home. Water was an important element and takes the form of a central pond and swimming pool. The terrace divides the watery surfaces. "The boundaries disappear. There‘s an ambiguity about the edge. The garden and its fragrances were important m the design. There‘s a sense of living in the garden, even when you‘re undercover," says Watson Brown. "In a sense, the house has been fragmented. Everything isn‘t under the one roof," she adds. There are a few delineations in the house that are a reminder of the division between the indoors and outdoors. Slightly raised limber flooring in the living area is a subtle reminder that one is moving indoors. "But it also feels as though you are moving across a verandah," she says. Ventilation was also a key factor in the design. In a tropical climate, the rooms can enjoy the breezes. "The house cools down very quickly." While the house is only 250 square metres, it feels considerably larger and more spacious. "I have borrowed from the garden. The site is quite rural and there are no neighbours nearby. It really allowed me to open up the house in all directions and make the most of what the site had to offer. I didn‘t want to create any secondary or lower-quality spaces without light, views and aspect." she says.


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