Architect: Woodward Architects
Builder: Baily Constructions
Location: North Avoca, NSW
Designed by Matthew Woodward Architecture, Ocean House sits close to the shoreline at North Avoca. Partridge worked closely with the architect to deliver the structural and hydraulic engineering, supporting the design vision while addressing the challenges of an exposed coastal environment.
The project introduces a secondary dwelling positioned back-to-back with the existing house. Planned as guest accommodation with a gym and additional garaging, the new building forms part of a wider site strategy centred on an elongated outdoor zone shared between the two dwellings.
A 20-metre pool, basketball court and landscaped garden sit within this central corridor, creating a recreational spine that links the buildings and organises movement across the site. The design draws on the familiar beachcomber style of house, with an open ground level supporting a lighter structure above.
A series of reinforced concrete blade walls form the primary structural system. These walls support the slab above and work together with it to create a rigid frame that resists lateral loading, primarily from wind. The approach responds to the highly open ground floor plan, where few perpendicular walls are available to provide conventional bracing.
The blade walls also carry a concrete plinth that supports the upper level and surrounding landscape elements providing generous ground-level openings that link the gym and play areas to the outdoor spaces without compromising structural integrity.
The first floor is framed as a lightweight structure. With few walls in the critical direction, stability is achieved through steel portal frames integrated into the framing. The slab spans widely spaced supports and carries additional loads from perimeter planters, which were designed as concrete upturn beams to control deflection while remaining seamlessly integrated with the architectural form.
Hydraulic planning was coordinated with the broader site design. The extensive outdoor areas, pool and landscaping required careful management of levels and stormwater collection so drainage infrastructure could be incorporated without disrupting the central outdoor spaces.
The result is a carefully balanced design where structural and hydraulic engineering work in harmony with the architecture to meet both functional and coastal site demands.
Photos courtesy of Woodward Architects, photographer Luke Shadbolt.
