Wadawurrung people
Victoria
Anglesea Beach House reimagines an early 2000s Kerstin Thompson dwelling through a philosophy of gentle modification rather than replacement. The renovation respects the original 'warehouse by the beach' concept while responding to contemporary family needs through strategic spatial augmentation.
The design approach centres on working within the existing structural and material logic—enclosing the first-floor terrace creates a new dining room, releasing the kitchen to expand functionally. A new north terrace, supported by a monolithic precast blade that echoes the original construction methodology, extends the home's engagement with landscape while creating layered entry sequences and rooftop access to ocean views.
Material authenticity guides all interventions. A reductive palette strips existing surfaces to reveal inherent sandy tones, informing selections of limestone tiles and brushed stainless steel joinery providing textural counterpoint to heavy masonry. The result amplifies the dwelling's essential character—a modest coastal retreat mediating between domestic inhabitation and the expansive landscape beyond.
Award For Residential Architecture – Houses (alterations And Additions)
Lovell Burton’s renovation of Kerstin Thompson’s early‑2000s Anglesea Beach House is distinguished by a deliberate ambiguity between retention and intervention, where it is not immediately apparent what is original, what has been reinterpreted and what has been newly introduced. Rather than adopting the orthodox heritage approach of contrasting old and new, the project adapts and mimics the original construction techniques, allowing continuity to be expressed through material logic and making. The response to the brief is both disciplined and challenging, resisting the easier impulse to expand the building footprint or introduce a secondary folly in favour of careful reorganisation. A monolithic precast blade acknowledges Thompson’s off‑centre siting, providing shade to the western deck and a measured moment of whimsy upon arrival. The outcome is simultaneously respectful of the original house and clearly legible as a confident Lovell Burton project.
Award For Residential Architecture - Houses (alterations And Additions)
Lovell Burton’s renovation of Kerstin Thompson’s early‑2000s Anglesea Beach House is distinguished by a deliberate ambiguity between retention and intervention, where it is not immediately apparent what is original, what has been reinterpreted and what has been newly introduced. Rather than adopting the orthodox heritage approach of contrasting old and new, the project adapts and mimics the original construction techniques, allowing continuity to be expressed through material logic and making. The response to the brief is both disciplined and challenging, resisting the easier impulse to expand the building footprint or introduce a secondary folly in favour of careful reorganisation. A monolithic precast blade acknowledges Thompson’s off‑centre siting, providing shade to the western deck and a measured moment of whimsy upon arrival. The outcome is simultaneously respectful of the original house and clearly legible as a confident Lovell Burton project.
Stephanie Burton, Project Architect
Joseph Lovell, Design Architect
Miles Ritzmann-Williams, Graduate of Architecture
R.I.Brown, Structural Engineer
Simon Talyor Landscape Design, Landscape Consultant