The Outlook

Working with Benjamin Matthews, Director of Pieter Henry Architects the challenge was set to remove many of the internal walls across multiple levels of living spaces to maximise the ocean views whilst maintaining much of the existing structure to minimise disturbance and costs.

The final house had a lower ground floor self-contained entertaining room, ground floor open plan living, first floor bedrooms and additional attic living. Construction was staged to allow the client to live in the house whilst it was being built as their preference was to be close to the project.

The steep site with ocean views meant the structure had to withstand high wind speeds and with all 4 storeys opening to the views this presented an engineering challenge to make sure the structural requirements did not inhibit the architecture.

The Elegant Engineering team was able to shift the structure to conceal it within the building profile, using small lengths of walls and steel and timber framing to maximum effect. No unsightly bulkheads or columns on this project, just clean ceiling lines, large openings and wonderful views.

We have a wealth of experience working with our architectural clients to understand their vision for projects and helping them achieve this vision. Our team enjoyed adding value to this project beyond the normal structural engineering scope and the final result was outstanding.

Working with Brendon and the team at Elegant Engineering is a pleasure, they focus on solutions not problems and nothing is too hard. They provide more than engineering; they understand our projects and always look to enhance and add value to our architecture.

Benjamin Matthews – Pieter Henry Architects