Dorman House

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

DORMAN HOUSE

Austin Maynard Architects

ARCHITECTS IN CHARGE
Mark Austin, Andrew Maynard

MANUFACTURERS
Focus, Adbri, Laminated Timber Supplies, Ampelite, Durabeam, Lexan Themoclick, Silvertop Ash

BUILDER
Spence Construction

DESIGN ARCHITECT
Andrew Maynard

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Mark Austin

PROJECT TEAM
Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Natalie Miles

ENGINEER
Robin Bliem & Associates

PHOTOGRAPHS
Peter Bennetts

AREA
224 m²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Australia

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Clients Kate and Grant had a beach house in Lorne, Victoria, which they loved and valued greatly.

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

They asked ‘how could we add a clear and elevated view of the ocean without demolishing, damaging or dominating our beloved shack?’

Dorman House is a finely crafted timber box, independently constructed to hover over the existing beach house.

In contrast to the neighbours, it has been designed to weather, to go grey and age, and sink back into the landscape, back into the bush.

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

The elevated box extension sits on top of a structure of industrial-looking posts and beams and comprises of a kitchen, dining and living room, accessed via a spiral staircase.

Though the client’s asked to “save our shack but give us the view” they also wanted to create a space that was not solely focused on the vista.

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

What could easily have been a white plasterboard box filled with downlights is, instead, detailed and well considered, radiating warmth and calm.

Internally lined with Silvertop Ash, it’s a place that exudes character and responds to the seasonal changes and hours of the day.

The new living space does not protrude forward over the ridge-line of the old house and avoids dominating the original shack unnecessarily.

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

The undercroft of the new living space is a simple infill of the heavy timber structure, to create a useable space without adding mass that would dominate the original property.

We have lined the space with polycarbonate, to allow an abundance of filtered light to fill the room.

Though the old kitchen was transformed into a second bathroom and laundry, the original beach house remains mostly unchanged.

Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts

It was tidied up and repainted so that the charm and character of the post war shack was retained.


Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts


Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts
Dorman House
© Peter Bennetts


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Site Plan


Dorman House
Ground Floor Plan
Dorman House
First Floor Plan


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Section