Prescott Beach Houses

THE BRIEF:
A custom-designed beach house created as a retreat for two families escaping their busy city lives. The design prioritises durability and ease of upkeep while incorporating refined architectural details.

BUILDING DETAILS:
The existing beach house was removed to make way for the proposed townhouses which each had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study.

THE CHALLENGES WE FACED:
Corten cladding is a metal cladding designed to form a stable layer of rust that prevents further corrosion. Bleaching from the rust can impact adjoining materials. We needed to consider the other materials that would adjoin the corten, so we created a physical barrier.

The specification included corten sheets for some internal walls, which presented a challenge as sheets installed indoors wouldn’t naturally rust to develop the desired patina. To address this, we pre-rusted the sheets on-site, and through close collaboration with the architect, achieved the intended rusted finish.

RESULT:
Receiving the 2019 Building Designers Association of Australia Victoria Architecture Award for Residential Architecture, Prescott Beach Houses is a testament to the allure of highly detailed finishes —black Victorian ash cladding complemented by weathered steel offers an industrial-modern aesthetic that harmoniously blends in with the surrounding environment.