Fairhaven Beach House by John Wardle Architects.

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This nimble beach house, designed by John Wardle Architects, enjoys panoramic ocean views from the top of the ridgeline above the Great Ocean Road on the Victorian coastline. The proportions, orientation and dimensions of windows are tailored to particular views and to reveal internal spaces. The design process is akin to scenography, cutting together sensory and spatial experiences to frame the theatre of inhabitation within.

The spatial journey through the house from arrival to the view is choreographed to increase anticipation before reaching the main living space. As you step beneath a cantilevered study into a dramatic vertical entry space, you become acutely aware of a number of twists and folds along its length that make the transformation into horizontal living space. The main window aperture matches the cinematic proportions of the ocean view.

Project team: John Wardle, Andy Wong, Diego Bekinschtein, Chloe Lanser, Robert Kolac, James Juricevich.

[Video by Coco & Maximilian. Images courtesy of John Wardle Architects. Photography by Trevor Mein.]