Sea Barn Byron Bay

Sea Barn is an infill development in a quiet lane in Byron’s heritage conservation area. It was conceived as a simple Scandinavian barn and presents an understated elevation to the lane, respecting the smaller scale of the lane compared with that of the primary streets. The two storey house appears to the lane as a single storey hardwood-clad volume with generous dormer windows in the grey metal roof enclosing the upper accommodation.

Sea Barn is designed to be a robust and functional house for a family of 5 and their visitors. The proximity to the beach and generous connectivity between the living room and garden and pool require that the house be robust and easy to maintain. Black stained timber cladding and grey travertine line the deep entry threshold and lobby and accentuate the experience of arrival. A polished concrete floor slab leads into the living space anchoring the building and providing a robust finish for the house.

The rear of the house overlooks the north facing garden and pool with the living room glazing stacking out of sight to provide a seamless connection between the two. In response to the sub tropical climate sliding insect screens are concealed in a cavity wall pocket, out of sight unless required.

Upstairs the bedrooms and media room benefit from the large dormer windows proving views across the rooftops to the Bay whilst the side ‘cheeks’ provide sun shading and screening from neighbours. The black stained oak linings to the interior of the dormers incorporate window seats and storage, proving an opportunity to pause and take in the view.

The project involved the strata subdivision of a larger lot. The location of the existing heritage character house on the front of the site resulted in a 373m2 lot available for the new dwelling. The compact nature of the site and close proximity of neighbours demanded efficient space planning and careful placing of windows to ensure mutual privacy. The resulting house feels capacious and private despite its modest lot size.

Assistants: Rachel Nolan, Alfonso Duran, Juliana Moreira & Matthew Wadham
Structural: Westera Partners
Planning: Planners North
Civil: SDS Civil
Contractor: Todd Knaus Constructions
Photographer: Andy Macpherson Studio