Melbourne based architecture and interior design practice, Robson Rak, are well known for their beautiful projects that not only look good, but feel good too. Providing a sense of warmth and well-being by creating architecture that is easy to maintain and nourishes the user for years to come is the practice’s main goal. Their latest project, The Layer House, located in regional, coastal Victoria, does just that. The Layer House sits on the site that’s close to the beach, although without any views to embrace. Instead, Robson Rak have turned to the house itself, it’s materiality, detailing and textures, creating plenty of visual interest with their design response, without creating complexity or overwhelm.
The largely sloping site tilts from the north to the south, and is made up of layers of limestone shelves and underground caves. Not only does this project take it’s name from it’s context, the design approach for the house is also, quite literally, layered. There are many intersecting zones and private vistas coming together throughout the building. As there are no sweeping panoramic views from the site, Robson Rack created some smaller internal courtyard spaces and vistas that allow a sense of looking past the building.
