Morning Bay House

Perched on the Pittwater estuary shoreline surrounded by the dense forest of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Morning Bay House was built as a retreat from the frenetic pace of Sydney – a place where living in close contact with nature allows time to “expand”. As well as exploiting the site’s potential to the full, the project employs sustainable strategies that make the house entirely self-sufficient. There are no utilities such as water or electricity supply, and the only access is from the beach whose waterline changes with the ebb and flow of the tide. However, although ensuring the privacy sought by the clients, the forest crowding around the house constitutes a real fire risk during the hot summers. As a result, the boundary between the natural landscape and architecture becomes of particularly importance since Morning Bay House is a concrete example of an oxymoron: both a refuge from its surroundings while at the same time expressing a profound wish to commune with unspoiled nature.

A single-level construction, the house has one bedroom and single large living space aligned sequentially along the longitudinal axis of the floor plan and facing the Pittwater estuary to the north – the direction of the sun in the southern hemisphere. The large living space, made up of a living room, dining area, and kitchen with a large utility room and pantry – this latter essential, given the limited connections to the city – opens onto a large covered veranda to the north and a wind-protected walled courtyard to the south. The lower level, created by the difference in height between the house and the sloping ground, contains a rainwater collection tank connected to the roof, garbage storage, and a small guestroom with bathroom. The entrance to the house is a long pier allowing access whatever the tide. A boat house lies alongside.

Nestled comfortably into its site among the trees, the building dominates the stretch...

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