Dane Richardson | House 11 | Dunsborough, Western Australia

Australian architect Dane Richardson designed this house in Dunsborough, Western Australia; as his own personal residence and home office.

A beach side home, a framed and timber clad structure over concrete base. The timber “perfect “at adding that lovely natural texture and weather boards have a traditional connection to beach side architecture.

Thermal mass and a solid structural foundation is achieved by the concrete basement level and the cantilevered concrete floor slabs. The building is focused towards the street & the beach beyond; the “skeleton” of timber posts has been very successful to define the form and threshold of the building also offering a level of privacy while still being very open engaging with the yard spaces and views.
The entire northern wall of the main living room is glazed, while the southern and western walls have small openings. Soft southern light penetrates the living room, however the northern glazing is what delivers the connection with the garden and beach beyond, also allowing the winter sun to heat the concrete floor slabs.
Honed concrete floors are used in most rooms. The main living room has inlayed 400×400 timber tiles with wax finish. Blue stone and white glass mosaics feature in wet areas.
The children’s bedrooms, bathroom and play room all to the west of the main living room with a car stand further west protecting those external walls. The main living room is on ground level opening onto a garden at one end while the eastern balcony is cantilevered well above ground level facing the ocean. The cantilevered balcony has a full height wall on the southern side stopping the cool prevailing winds. The master bedroom, ensuite and sitting room occupy the highest floor level, private and separated.
Sustainability has been considered –northern orientation, high & low thermal mass materials, low VOC paints & sealers, low emission glass, grey water re-use system, electronic window blinds providing heat gain/loss control, solar water heating, insulated ceilings and walls, rain water collection and low emission boards used in the cabinet construction.
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