Forman Beach House

The client brief was for a strong, robust house that had to suit the environment and hold its own on the beach front. Firth’s Grey Masonry was chosen as it is a robust material that could be crafted on site and provided a concrete look yet in a nice scale. A double skin block design was developed to ensure the house was not only well insulated, watertight and durable for the coastal location, but to also achieve the look the homeowners were after. This resulted in a masonry veneer exterior and a structural and insulated solid block interior, with a 50mm cavity between, making the house extremely well insulated, achieving the best possible R-Values.By taking advantage of concrete's thermal mass, in combination with good insulation and glazing, the masonry walls regulate internal temperatures to provide a healthy and energy efficient living environment throughout the year. The attention to detail with the finishing on the home is evident, as the block leaves no room for error as there are no finishing lines, architraves, scotias, skirtings, making it a really accurate build. With curved walls on the central staircase giving a softened effect to what would normally be a hard material and the honed, diamond ground finish providing a smooth surface, the overall feel of the large double storey house is quite soft and light. Photography by ArchiPro