Headland Pavilion-Like House

The four bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom main home consists of three linked pavilions, wrapped around a protected courtyard. The architects’ design is inspired by the spectacular landscape. A response to the dramatic 150 acre site where a ridge connects the Illawarra escarpment to the sea.

The architect and builders teamed up with a local engineering firm to develop the operable façade. Large copper panels that cover the entire western façade can be adjusted to any angle, or fully open to light and views via hydraulic cylinders concealed in the floor space. Occupants are treated to a sensory show as the setting sun penetrates deep into the living space.

Visitors are encouraged to slow down from arrival – the home is accessed only by foot. The project’s sustainability features include utilising only tank water (harvested from the roof) and on-site sewage treatment. Atelier Andy Carson has created a robust family home that actively explores the relationship between building and landscape.

The clients, Beau Neilson and her husband, Jeffrey Simpson, set the brief based on a clear understanding of how they live. No strangers to the design scene (Beau is daughter of art patrons Judith & Kerr Neilson), the couple desired an elegant, comfortable residence for all conditions. Their brief also called for a modest two-bedroom guest house on the site to cater to visitors and extended family.