The renovation of the Beach Retreat House embodies design vision, sustainability, and safety. Architect Ellen Woolley and builder Tristan Davis led the transformative project, focusing on updating the home and enhancing its connection to its dramatic natural surroundings while navigating the complexities of bushfire regulations, thermal comfort, and sustainability.

Woolley, reflecting on the project, emphasised the importance of marrying aesthetics with functionality. She explained that the objective was to not only enlarge the kitchen and revamp other areas but also to maximize the home’s engagement with its breathtaking environment. In addition, achieving thermal efficiency and meeting bushfire safety standards without compromising the home’s design integrity was paramount. “We needed to find ways to be compliant without being aesthetically oppressive,” Woolley noted.

The renovation incorporated advanced solutions, most significantly Paarhammer’s Bushfire Safe windows and doors featuring AGG’s Pyroglass ISO Pyranova^® insulating fire-resistant glazing system. The window system tested and approved for BAL-FZ enabled bushfire safety requirements to be surpassed, without the use of shutters, also enhancing energy efficiency.

Using the Paarhammer Bushfire Safe range with the Pyroglass ISO Pyranova^® glazing system enabled the main living area to significantly open by eliminating a corner post and installing stacking doors with tremendous spans.

“We worked with Paarhammer to create a frameless corner where glazed doors stack back eight metres, opening the house to the ocean, and four and a half metres on the park side to provide uninterrupted space and views,” says Davis.

“It’s like being at the beach; the house is only 200 metres from the breaking water.”

Woolley says that, with the walls folded back, the room feels like a verandah: “It floats. The house hangs out so you feel perched in a tree in the sky.”

The integration of Pyroglass ISO Pyranova^® glazing brought an extra layer of functionality to the project. This window system and glazing solution offers up to 30 minutes of Insulating Fire Resistance, providing unparalleled safety and thermal insulation. “Incorporating Paarhammer windows and doors using AGG’s Pyroglass ISO Pyranova^® glazing system was key to enhancing the home’s thermal performance and safety, ensuring that the extraordinary views remain unobstructed, without the need for shutters,” Woolley remarked. Davis added that the technical superiority of these solutions allowed them to deliver a sanctuary that embodied safety, comfort, and harmony with its environment.

This comprehensive renovation underscores the importance of innovative materials and technologies in overcoming environmental and regulatory challenges. The project revitalized the Beach Retreat House, expanded its connection to the landscape and met contemporary standards of sustainability and safety.