the creek house, coledale.

The Creek House is cantilevered over a steep slope falling to a small creek that flows from high on the escarpment out to the ocean at Sharkey Beach, Coledale. The site had previously been neglected but offered exciting architectural and aesthetic possibilities, with the raw beauty of a Eucalypt rainforest peppered with soft tree ferns and stately palms. It was logical to place the house high on the site to capture the wide views and ocean breezes, so it had to rise on piers and be flexible, respecting the natural slope and the clay of its founding. Ultimately the house needed to blend into the trees and sympathise with the verdant backdrop of the escarpment and rainforest.

The shuttered southern wall opens into the Eucalypt canopy during the summer, turning the open plan living/kitchen/dining room into a sheltered but open verandah, capturing both the ocean to the east and the rainforest behind.

The use of timber, inside and out, softens and warms the building, embracing its occupants and creating a contemplative frame for the unique features of its Coledale setting: the escarpment, the rainforest and the ocean. 

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