Cooinda

cooinda

Nelly bay, magnetic island
New Residence
2019

AIA AWARDS 2020

North Queensland House of the Year
North Queensland Regional Project of the Year
Queensland State Commendation

The Client has named this house “Cooinda” - an indigenous word meaning “a happy place”. It is an apt name for this contemporary beach house for a large and enthusiastic extended family on beautiful Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville, North Queensland.

The large accommodation brief of the home has been distilled into a simple architectural form and materiality that sites well in the context of a Magnetic Island street. The key design move was to create a central, double height “outdoor room” around which all of the functions of the house are arranged. This space creates connections between all spaces, and also becomes a key social gathering space.

The greatest success of the scheme is the way in which it works just as well for a couple as it does for large family gatherings.