Located on Australia's Hamilton Island, today's featured project goes by the name of Azuris, that is a three bedroom holiday home cascading on a western hillside overlooking the Australian Coral Sea. Designed by Renato D'ettorre studio, the project responds to three key elements of its island location: light, air and water. The simplicity of Azuris is a tribute to the beauty of its location. The home comprises a series of simple spaces carved out of robust masonry, generating a sense of both weight and lightness, and ensuring longevity and low maintenance in the sub-tropical climate. On approach, the house is visible as a green roof planted with native species, drawing the eye out further to the ocean’s horizon beyond. The design is strictly modern - adopting a pavilion form with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors, expansive wrap around pool and tranquil internal courtyards. Besides the focus on the view, water plays a special role. Wrapping around the main pavilion is an expansive pool, creating a dramatic design element, vital to introducing water’s cooling and visual delight to the interior.

The house spans between two dominant painted anthracite-grey side walls for privacy; with the living area, main bedroom and swimming pool at the top, and the guest rooms and an undercover sheltered terrace on the lower storey. The two grey privacy walls and exposed concrete elements blend in with the volcanic rock of the island and the native eucalyptus trees. The open upper living area shares an outdoor/indoor environment with the entry courtyard which is shielded from the road by high stone walls. The courtyard is a quiet contemplative place with a cooling reflection pond with waterlillies. The entrance courtyard opens directly onto the main living floor, and a steel barbecue has been integrated in the massive stone wall. Materials were restricted to stone, concrete and glass. Chosen for their rawness and transparency respectively, enabling the structure to disappear into the landscape and withstand the island’s subtropical humidity, intense sunlight and torrential downpours. Due to scarcity of water on the island 40,000 litres of rainwater is collected in tanks installed in the equipment room in the basement. Water is also recycled and treated and used to irrigate the garden. The result is a house that seamlessly connects the indoor and outdoor, a piece of Paradise where privacy and nature blend perfectly.

INFO: www.dettorrearchitects.com.au

PHOTO COURTESY: Francesca Giovanelli