Port Fairy Victoria Australia – Farnan Findlay Architects
Situated some 290 kilometres from Melbourne, Port Fairy is close enough to be a ‘weekender’ location for a Melbourne family. It also offers permanent residency for those lucky enough to be able to build a career in nearby Warrnambool. Facing onto the Southern Ocean, it is an area of spectacular beauty but also some wild weather.
“Nestled in the tea-tree covered sand dunes of Victoria’s remote ship-wreck coast, it responds to privacy and views using ‘outdoor rooms’ with partial walls to selectively include desirable aspects and exclude others, such as prevailing winds. It is an example of how form and function can meet to provide an environment that is both private and uplifting to live in.
The house provides numerous different living opportunities both indoor and outdoor for various weather conditions or functions. The structure nurtures by wrapping itself around the best aspects, turning its back on the worst.
We are passionate about the idea of a house inhabiting its location and function. We abhor the standardised and mostly inadequate suburban villa with its extensive lawns and mediocre symbolism. This house responds with a more intimate understanding of its context.
Being sited 50m from water’s edge, the context is idyllic. A 360 degree rooftop observation deck affords the owner’s opportunity to survey the coastline and township.”
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