丨澳大利亚丨Collins and Turner

Bondi House

Bondi House

Project Story

Details

Situated just a short walk from Australia’s most iconic beach, the Bondi House serves as a city retreat for a family of five who embrace the relaxed coastal lifestyle the location affords.

Occupying a prominent corner site within a streetscape of traditional houses and contemporary apartment buildings, the compact two-storey dwelling is conceived as a

“found object”

—a timber tea chest of sorts—appearing as though crafted from solid hardwood and gently weathered by time and exposure. The form is intentionally monolithic and visually restrained, presenting a singular, sculptural presence that reads as both mysterious and finely crafted within its urban context.

The façade operates as a

rainscreen system

—a layered, ventilated veil that performs both environmental and experiential roles. It provides solar protection and privacy while lending the building a tactile depth and sense of enclosure. Behind this veil, the home’s openings are concealed by a combination of operable shutters and fixed panels. When these shutters are opened, they momentarily expose the domestic life within, enlivening the façade and revealing the building’s inner workings—much like the unfolding of an advent calendar.

Constructed from a mix of recycled hardwood species that have weathered to a consistent silvery tone, the screen embraces sustainable practices by repurposing off-cuts and discarded timbers. The varied batten sizes, widths, and spacings add a finely textured quality to the surface when viewed up close, while maintaining the illusion of a monolithic exterior from afar.

Internally, the materials palette is robust and low-maintenance, well-suited to the demands of family life in a beachside environment. Polished concrete floors run throughout the ground level, also forming custom precast elements for the kitchen island and benchtop. Complementary materials include fibre cement sheeting, recycled hardwoods, and black-oiled cedar window frames, which together create a calm, neutral interior backdrop that allows everyday life to bring the colour.

A secondary pavilion on the site accommodates the garage, laundry, and a family games room, reinforcing the functional separation of spaces.

Central to the project’s identity is the garden, designed by Beth Pickworth. The soft landscape envelops the house with native coastal species such as Banksia, tea-tree, lilly pilly, and coastal rosemary. Over time, this planting has matured to soften the building’s edges, casting dappled shadows across its textured and semi-transparent skin as the sun tracks westward through the day.

Details

Client

Private Clients

Builder

Mardini Constructions

Structure

Cantilever

Services

Erbas

Landscape

Beth Pickworth

Certifier

Compass Approvals

Photographer

Richard Glover