New South Wales
Regional
Cultivating a close relationship between lifestyle aspirations, tidal estuary, and the town of Brunswick Heads, High Tide House resists coastal conventions, presenting a highly crafted alternative home with strong connections to locality.
On a very small flood prone site the design creatively negotiates constraints by utilising a playful treehouse arrangement where spaces are defined by verticality, voids & adjacencies. Basement spaces are flexible and robust, ready for kids charging in off the creek, and capable to withstand potential flooding events, while upper levels find calmness and prospect amongst the canopy. Comprising locally sourced certified hardwood, the low embodied energy building consciously engages with its environment, further nurturing relationship with place.
Combining structural rigour with expressive craftsmanship, High Tide House condenses the needs of a young family into a compact, adventurous home, closely in tune with its environment and the estuary foreshore of Durrumbil/Brunswick River.
The design has had an instant, and growing positive impact on our family of 4 since moving in. It continues to bring joy to all of us, by bringing inside the natural beauty of Brunswick Heads. We feel more connected to the river out front, and the natural surroundings. We can live very comfortably inside the house, on the deck overlooking the beautiful Simpsons Creek, or just watching our children play outside. No matter where you are inside or out, there always seems to be something new to admire, or appreciate from a new perspective.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
