From an existing 1990s brick house to a modern beachside residence

The East House is located in Byron Bay, Australia. It’s a modern beachside residence and it was designed by Built-Environment Practice. It’s actually a reconfiguration of 1990s brick house. The residence was designed to allow a permanent indoor-outdoor connection and to also emphasize the beauty of the site. The clients were a couple that relocated from Sydney more than 10 years ago. They wanted the house to have a modern design, a functional structure and to also focus on their passions for yoga, surfing, cooking, music and gardening.

Built environment practice house9

The architects focused on also employing passive solar design principles. They did that while trying to make the house as open as possible to the exterior. However, the clients wanted privacy from the neighbors as well as an open design and a close and permanent connection to the outdoors. Doing that was a challenge. The architects designed a series of open and closed spaces. The social areas, for example, have large windows and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. They also have sliding doors that can be completely opened thus creating a visual connection with the outdoor areas.

Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9
Built environment practice house9

The private spaces have a different design. They no longer feature those huge glass windows and they are also oriented towards the back. The courtyard frames the house and also serves as a buffer zone between the residence and the neighbors and street.{found on contemporist}.