Modern concrete construction is elevated into an art form at an inventive architectural masterpiece just listed for sale in Torquay.
A rooftop garden harnessing the sea breeze is the crowning glory of Auhaus Architecture’s acclaimed ‘Torquay Concrete House’.
The vendor admits her family will “probably never own something so architecturally magnificent again” after listing 6 Loch Lomond Crescent, Torquay, to pursue a new project.
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It’s selling through McCartney, Torquay agent Tim Carson with $2.995m price hopes.
“The architecture is really special, there is nothing really like it in the area so we snapped it up a few years ago,” she said.
“We have always dreamt of owning a really beautiful architecturally designed home so that was definitely what appealed to us.”
Original owners Surf Coast artist Prudence Oliveri and her husband Damian imbued the five-bedroom home, located on a waterway in The Sands golf course estate, with a subtle 1970s vibe.
Concrete walls, floors, custom benches and a statement open fireplace feature in the vast open-plan living area where a 4m high ceiling is lined with cedar and honeycomb concrete detail.
While edges finished in copper often go unnoticed, the circular brass kitchen rangehood and New York marble splashback are bolder touches of luxury.
The vendor said the style reminded her of an amazing house American architect John Lautner designed in the Hollywood in the 1970s.
But she said it was hard to grasp the scale of the interior spaces until you stepped beyond the private entry courtyard.
The entry hall has floor-to-ceiling windows that stretch over two storeys, drawing in light and framing views of a central north-facing courtyard.
“You have all of those windows that open up so you can really enjoy the outdoors from the inside,” she said.
“It all opens up to the central courtyard to enjoy the summer but it’s so cosy in the winter as well.”
Upstairs, there’s a separate self-contained studio accessed via an external curved concrete staircase and the vendor’s favourite hangout – the master bedroom suite overlooking the rooftop garden.
“You can just sit there and look across the whole yard. The doors all open obviously so you have got the breeze coming in and you can hear the ducks and the frogs in the pond out the back,” she said.
“That is a really nice place to be on a nice hot summer’s night.”
The house earned Auhaus a commendation at the Victorian Architecture Awards in 2016 and was also short-listed for the Houses Awards 2016.
Originally published as Acclaimed Torquay concrete house channels Hollywood vibes
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