Rugged Yet Refined – Cliff House by Auhaus Architecture

Situated on a rugged, windswept dune that drops sharply down to the ocean below, the Cliff House by Auhaus Architecture is a strong response to the harsh coastal conditions, but it is also open, permeable, and a sensitive expression of its context and inhabitants.

The clients had lived on the site for over two decades, in a home that was condemned less than 20 years after it was built due to extensive corrosion of the steel structure. Located on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, the site overlooks Bass Straight, whose notorious south-westerly winds whip over the ocean and take a heavy toll on vegetation and buildings alike. “We came to the project with full knowledge of the history of the site and with the task of designing a house that could withstand a barrage of ocean spray and wind without deteriorating over time,” says Kate Fitzpatrick, who designed the house with fellow codirector of Auhaus Architecture Ben Stibbard.

The fate of the previous home informed the project from the outset. When the clients first approached Auhaus, “they were still living in the original condemned house and were quite saddened by the thought of having to knock down a house which they had built less than 20 years prior,” Kate recalls. Having lived on the site for many years, they had indepth knowledge of the context “and a strong feel for what they wanted second time around. The brief was to create a new house on the site that would be bulletproof to the weather conditions.”

While the elements are a powerful adversary, the incredible natural beauty of the ocean views and surrounding coastal environment offers rewards in equal measure. The architecture captures this duality – for every robust element of protection there is a corresponding quality that opens the building to the views or softens it in harmony with the landscape. “As a frontline site that sits directly above the beach and is wind, rain and salt ravaged through much of the year, the materiality needs to stand up to the harsh conditions and last into the future without deteriorating,” Kate says. “The resilience and water repellent nature of concrete makes it a clear choice in this context.”