As a sensitive insertion amongst the existing established context, Sorrento combines classical references of longevity and permanence, together with an enduring connection to place. As a capture of the importance of the home as a place of calm, a tonally restrained palette sits comfortably within the landscape. Through the stillness and holistic approach that binds all of the elements across the site – where light, volume and scale interact with an intentional synchronicity – the resulting home sits discreetly and unassuming.
Pushed inward from the street front, the placement of the home on the site reinforces a feeling of disconnection, while its visual presence – although indirect – remains in the distance. Located on a removed street, away from the main thoroughfare of Sorrento, the aim was to emphasise the feeling of composure, and intentional layers of transition then enhance privacy. Approached from a series of untouched and rugged roadways, the awaiting form is an unexpected yet welcomed sight.
The existing timber weatherboard-clad forms that are dotted throughout the town play a critical role in establishing a scale reference and lightness. In its own interpretation of the established massing and tones, Sorrento is intended to not overshadow or dominate anything that exists in its presence. Imagined as a place of immersive repose, the connection between inside and out and bringing elements of the landscape deep into the interior became a core design gesture that underpinned the response.
The linear nature of the planning and clarity that the resulting zoning provides, helps to define the points of connection, while also aligning dedicated garden spaces to functionality across. Optimising the orientation, the living spaces sit to the north, with deeper reveals and a courtyard space inserted to the west to create a buffer between inside and out. Needing the home to be able to expand and contract based on occasional visitors and entertaining, compartmentalisation drove the arrangement of elements on site. Maintaining a consistent outward connection throughout larger or smaller spaces was also integral to avoiding the feeling of compromise.
The proposal combines the familiar simplicity of the semi-permanent forms in the area together with a casual temperament associated with the ocean. Setting the resolve apart though, is the heightened refinement with which all of the comprising parts come together, and an anchoring amongst the terrain through the weighted form. In a sensitive response to context, layering nuances, and a restrained palette together with a tonal and natural connection to the surrounds, Sorrento emerges as a softening offering amongst the gritted terrain of the coast.
