Designed by Auhaus Architecture, Barwon House is an extensive renovation of a tiny weatherboard beach shack at Barwon Heads in the Bellarine Peninsula of Victoria. The new house was to act as a semi-permanent residence and a holiday house for extended family. The renovation transforms the main house and adds a new guest pavilion, linked by a timber deck. Light and space are amplified within the original floor area by exaggerating the height of the gabled roof form and opening up the interiors with cathedral ceilings. Ancient Ti trees surrounding the deck create a sculptural focal point for both pavilions.
The existing timber framing was retained and reconditioned where useable, combined with new timber framing forming two gabled pavilion structures nested amongst twisted ti trees.
The two pavilions are split in the centre, one side with stained lvl members framing a recessed entry lined with recycled stringybark, creating a warm entry into each area. The opposite face of each module is lined with grooved plywood sheet, one painted white, the other oiled in a contrasting black stain.
Internally, recycled feature grade blackbutt flooring was chosen to emphasize the natural character and movement of the timber grain. The kitchen island bench sits as a central feature in the open plan living and kitchen space. Made from solid stringybark planks selected for their nutty tones and highly textured sap lines, the waterfall bench is oiled to preserve the tone and texture of the raw material.
