Oystercatcher House, Callala Beach, Modern New South Wales Home, Australian Real Estate Architecture, NSW Residence Photos

Oystercatcher House in Callala Beach

7 Sep 2022

Design: MCK Architecture & Interiors

Location: Callala Beach, New South Wales, Australia

Photos: Prue Ruscoe

Oystercatcher House, New South Wales

For some years a Sydney based family had enjoyed their holidays in a tiny pre-fabricated house on the beachfront lot, but had finally outgrown it. They wanted to improve the accommodation and take better advantage of the opportunities of the location and aspect, while retaining a relaxed, simple pattern of inhabiting the site.

The design response was to retain the open, exposed and windswept nature of the site, and to allow the envelope of the Oystercatcher House provide privacy, security and protection from the elements, literally the house as a fence. The desire for a modest and unassuming presentation to the street drove the idea of the house as an object which had weathered in place in the dunes.

The slanted roof form clad in pre-weathered spotted gum references the windswept, pared down vegetation of the foredune, and retains sunlight to a neighbouring property.

The volume of the house was punctured with courtyards, and the boundary condition carefully handled to provide a variety of spaces and atmospheres to suit the constantly changing conditions. Large openable timber screens allow simple modulation of light and shade, privacy and access.

The massing has been pushed away from the humble local streetscape towards the rear of the site where the connection to the waterfront immediately acts as a magnet to all visitors. In this respect an ocean sight-line has been established from the front door, and through the primary circulation hall shaped as a shotgun corridor running east-west.

The planning arrangement allows reduced usage of the home by compartmentalising the additional bedroom wing, such that the home is as comfortable for 2 as it is for a group of 10. Much like the local Oystercatcher population, this family also chooses to nest in the white sanded dunes of Jervis Bay.

Oystercatcher House in Callala Beach, New South Wales – Building Information

Design: MCK Architecture & Interiors – https://mckarchitects.com/

MCK Team: Steve Koolloos, Sam Gleeson, Mark Barrow
Builder: Martin Paul Leedham Builder
Structural Engineer: SDA Structures
Landscape Architect: The Garden Social
Landscaping: South Coast Gardens
Joinery: Pullicino + Son
Concrete: Set in Steel
Stone: Arte Domus
Pavers: PGH

Photography: Prue Ruscoe

Oystercatcher House, Callala Beach NSW images / information received 070922

Location: Callala Beach, NSW, Australia

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