Description

Sunkissed Higgins – tells the story of best friends, family, surfing, skating, mystic crystals, vaporwaves, rainbows & unicorns. Located on the surf coast in Middleton South Australia, Sunkissed Higgins was a two(ish) bedroom old brick home that sat across the road from where the architect and builder used to skate the halfpipe after a day in the surf as teenagers. With the move to live away from the city, Sunkissed Higgins needed to capture a deeply personal chapter shift - one focused on sustainability and intimacy – while also ensuring the design mirrored its owners. Facing east, the home offers sweeping views of the sun rising over Middleton Beach – serving as a poignant connection to the couple’s own wedding day – and bringing with it the sun’s shifting glow. Culminating as four shades of pink that wrap around curved timber boards, four shades of pink were selected, each chosen to reflect the blush tones of the sun throughout the day that then transform into bronze tones by evening. The sustainability aspects on the home begin with retaining the exiting dwelling that will see its third life as a dwelling. Adam & Chloe did not want to see the quaint brick home they fell in love with contribute to land fill. To the rear of the site living spaces open up to northern light and create a wind protected pocket for the sunny winter days. A series of casement windows at the front of the home perform as a giant bank of louvres that capture stunning views and the coastal breezes. During the construction Adam was able to reduce the waste produced by the build by salvaging hardwood timber from the Granite Island Kiosk jetty and repurposing bricks left over from other projects that would have otherwise gone to fill. Higgins is a cultural gesture to the local community with the social interaction of the home taking place in the front yard. The Goolwa to Victor Harbour bike path traverses past the home with locals often stopping by for a yard over the fence. Six tones of pink were selected that appear blushed by the sun in direct light during the day, as the sun fades away there are bronze tones that come through much a like skin after a day at the beach giving her the name ‘Sunkissed Higgins’. With the sun setting directly behind the home the ‘vaporwave’ takes these 80’s kids into nostalgic 8bit memories as the home fades into the horizon.

AWARDS

• SA architecture awards 2024 - SA Architecture Medal
• SA architecture awards 2024 - John Schenk named award - alterations and additions
• SA architecture awards 2024 - commendation - sustainability
• Dulux Colour Awards 2024 - commendation
• Good design awards 2024 - award winner
• HIA awards 2023 - coastal home of the year