Winkler Residence Torquay, Victoria real estate design, Australian modern property photos

Winkler Residence in Torquay, Victoria

12 May 2025

Architecture: Peter Winkler Architects

Location: Torquay, Victoria, Australia

Nestled beneath a canopy of mature Messmate Gums in the Torquay hinterland, Winkler Residence is a recycled timber home and architectural studio shaped by decades of coastal living and a profound respect for the Australian bush.

Photos: Johnny Rollin

Winkler Residence in Torquay, Victoria, Australia

Framed by indigenous vegetation and an ephemeral stream, the dwelling sits lightly on regenerated land, designed to support both the rhythms of family life and the quiet demands of focused creative work.

The residence is composed of two recycled timber pavilions—The home and office are at either end of the main pavilion, with carport and guest accommodation in the other—linked by a bluestone terrace positioned beneath the largest existing canopy tree on site. This central threshold connects inside to outside, encouraging a deliberate engagement with landscape and weather.

A colonnade walkway opens to the native garden, allowing the morning sun to filter through, while providing shelter in rain and a sense of pause before entry. Living spaces and bedrooms occupy the eastern pavilion, while the studio and guest accommodation are housed to the west. A flexible central zone supports both daily family life and weekday studio meetings, offering spatial versatility within a compact footprint.

Sustainability is embedded into every element of the home. Structure, cladding, lining boards and decking are crafted from recycled Blackbutt salvaged from Wagga Wagga’s 1895 Hampden Bridge. The aged hardwood, sourced through AAH Hardwoods, carries both a rich narrative and technical advantage—seasoned over time, it offers exceptional dimensional stability. The building is constructed to a strict 1200mm grid, maximising efficiency in both planning and material use. Short lengths of timber are utilised within the rhythmic facade bays, reducing waste. Floor and ceiling linings in plywood sheets match this module, and structural members were ordered to exact profiles to avoid offcuts.

Full-height charcoal-tinted glazing is site-glazed directly into structural mullions, eliminating conventional window frames. This reduction in materials is both aesthetic and efficient, allowing uninterrupted views and reducing cost. Along the north facade, custom copper louvres offer summer shading while enabling passive solar gain in winter. The north-facing orientation and narrow floor plate maximise winter sun, with openable windows and sliding doors throughout ensuring effective cross ventilation and connection to sea breezes.

The home sits elevated on a wide-span stump and pad footing system, designed to protect existing tree root systems and adapt to seasonal flooding. All services were carefully routed to avoid root damage, with excavation timed to align with spring rains and optimal regrowth conditions. Externally, the landscape and architecture speak the same language: permeable stone pavers on adjustable pedestals allow for airflow and water to reach tree roots, while garden paths meander through Bracken, Banksia and native grasses.

Inside, the material palette is earthy, warm, and consistent with the ethos of living simply within nature. Recycled Blackbutt wall linings glow softly in daylight and form a backdrop to custom bamboo cabinetry, timber benchtops, brass fittings and black-anodised window frames. Nothing is white, silver or synthetic—materials are finished with natural oils, and no plasterboard is used. This home feels quiet, textural and grounded.

A generous Carport supports an active coastal lifestyle with ample storage for surfboards and gear. Outdoor showers and drying spaces encourage barefoot transitions between ocean and home. The wet entrance provides direct access to showers and laundry, making sandy returns from the beach seamless.

The fence line itself becomes a sculptural statement: hardwood posts of varying diameter and species represent the diversity of humanity—angled tops face in multiple directions, some toward the ocean, others toward each other, symbolising protection, community and dialogue.
Ultimately, Winkler Residence is a long-term, lived-in project—an architectural response to place, memory and climate. It champions recycled materials, passive design, and ecological care, creating a generous and adaptable home for work, life and play.

Architectural Vision and Inspiration from the coastal beauty of Torquey
The ocean is a continuous source of energy and provides rejuvination. Along the coast, the most ideal design solution is one that considers the landscape, orientation and direction of the predominant winds. The natural environment is a key source of inspiration for our work.

The timber residence gently hovers above the ground, elevated to survive a flood of the surrounding landscape which falls toward the site. Full-height tinted charcoal mirror glass windows reflect the bush setting, and allow the dwelling to be recessive.

Solar passive design provides year-round comfort, enhancing the livability of the home and the wellbeing of its occupants. The main pavilion is orientated to the North and elongated along the East/West axis for maximum Winter sun penetration into a narrow-width floor plate. Copper louvres fitted across the North-facing glazing prevent the Summer sun from entering. Cross-ventilation is provided via glazed sliding doors and openable windows throughout, with hot air drawn out of the home and replaced by cool sea breezes.

All services were either trenched well outside the line of the tree canopy, run directly toward the trunk rather than across the root system, or laid on the earth with fill over to minimise disruption. Excavation for the home was completed at the start of Spring so that rains and sunshine through this season would increase the chance of the trees adapting to even the smallest change to their root system.

Winkler Residence in Torquay, Victoria – Building Information

Architecture: Peter Winkler Architects – https://peterwinklerarchitect.com.au/, P.J. Yttrup & Associates Pty. Ltd. Consulting Engineers, John mercer construction, Simone taylor landscaping

Project size: 280 sqm
Site size: 4007 sqm
Completion date: 2023
Building levels: 1