When Match Projects approached us with this development, sustainability was very prominent in the list of brief requirements. Situated along the Lindsay Beach foreshore in Yanchep, this stretch of four lots totals about 1 hectare, directly alongside pristine beaches and delicate dune ecology.

This was an exciting project for us at Chindarsi Architects, allowing us to put our experience and expertise with single houses to good use – on a much larger scale than usual. We considered the project from a ‘big picture’ perspective, considering each design in the light of how it would contribute to the streetscape and how appropriate it would be in the beachside setting. With 47 dwellings comprising 10 different house and apartment types, we also had to consider the many different lifestyles the development would cater for.

We took a lot of inspiration from traditional beach shacks and the iconic beach bathing boxes in Brighton, Victoria, most evident in the pitched and skillion roof forms and the bright colours of the homes. It was important to maintain a lightness of materials as well, and to ground the homes in their natural environment with local materials. Yanchep limestone was perfect for our needs and gives the homes a bright, summery feeling. We also incorporated solar passive principles and as many ecologically sensitive strategies as possible within each design, to keep the development at a level of sustainability well above NatHERS requirements.