The door is always open for good design

A spectacular site is both a gift and a curse when it comes to new architecture.

Patrick Kennedy at the Mornington Peninsula house that won him and his team the Place Award at the 2022 Design Institute of Australia awards. Picture: Aaron Francis

A spectacular site is both a gift and a curse when it comes to new architecture.

For Melbourne design firm Kennedy Nolan, the gift was a property perched on the cliffs overlooking Western Port Bay on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and the problem was how to construct a home that didn’t destroy the landscape or become a boring glass box that stuck out like a sore thumb.

The other obstacle was a house that was already on the site and it was designed by notable mid-century Melbourne architects Chancellor and Patrick. It was, however, not in a great state.

“Originally we wanted to preserve the house but because of the unstable foundations and a very fragile geology, it had to be removed,” says designer and co-founder of Kennedy Nolan, Patrick Kennedy.

“So the brief was for something that captured the warm and relaxed feeling of the house but with more accommodation and the ability to host friends and family.”

Kennedy and his team ended up designing the reverse of a glass box and instead created a house that almost disappeared into the landscape. They used stone such as slate and wood including oiled cedar and blackbutt to create a natural look. The roof even has plants and grass on it.

“We were keen to ensure the house was sensitive, recessive and ultimately largely invisible by avoiding projecting forms and large expanses of glass,” Kennedy explains.

It was an approach that worked as the house – called Always – took out the Place Award at the 2022 Design Institute of Australia awards. The annual event recognises not only the end result of good design but the people, processes and collaboration behind each project.

The DIA jury described the Kennedy Nolan house as a sanctuary that respected the landscape.

“It is a well-conceived and realised project that shows a sophisticated response to the site, fusing human and natural spaces,” they noted.

“The design brings dark, quiet spaces to a beach house, using materials to create intimacy, refuge and a sense of calm.”

As well as the Place award, there are categories for Use, Interact and the President’s Award which pays tribute to those that have contributed significantly to the design industry.