SEALED WITH Cypress

With only a small footprint, a four-level coastal family home was created by employing vertical architecture

- KARSHA GREEN

Owner/builders Jasmin and Andrew, of Merico Construction, wanted a home that captured the coastal lifestyle - a family home for their two children and dogs, as well as a project that would push Andrew's own abilities and create an "architectural statement".

Jasmin and Andrew had recently built a second dwelling at the rear of the property, so the brief for the Cypress project was to re-envision the "weekend cottage" at the front. With a limited ground-floor footprint to work with, Andrew, as well as Shane and Jorden from Shane Denman Architects, explored the use of vertical architecture.

"Left with a small plot on the site to build on, we explored the use of vertical architecture," explains Jorden. "Looking around, there were views/outlooks in nearly all directions once we could get above ground level. We started this by elevating the backyard/living and dining to podium level."