St. Andrews Beach House
Off to Oz we go today. More specifically, St. Andrews Beach on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, where the strip malls and restaurants are nil, the corner store and brewery exist singly, and the sand dunes provide the perfect shield and seclusion for a 1500-square-foot "bach" (New Zealand word for a basic shack or shed) Maynard Architects has designed as a perfect wood-clad cylinder in the sand. So striking and unique.
Less so is the name Maynard has given the project: The St. Andrews Beach House.
The Beach House is a 2-story vacation home Maynard describes as being "all front." It has no neighbors or major structures nearby, and multiple outlooks, so a dominant orientation and distinct front, back, and sides wasn't necessary. On the ground floor are a kitchen, living room, dining area, bathroom, and laundry. The floor opens to a "deck" area that's really just part of the earth shaped to accommodate outdoor seating.
At the center of the circle lies, not surprisingly, a circular staircase spiraling upstairs to the second bathroom and a "bedroom zone," one bunk room with curtain separation.
In respect of the surrounding environment, and the building's seclusion, St. Andrews Beach House windows are double-glazed, and the roof fitted with solar panels with micro-inverters to provide electric hydronic power. A cylindrical concrete water tank collects rainwater for the toilets and garden irrigation.
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