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Large windows, and shuttered panels or slatted openings look onto broad verandahs and continuous decks. These outdoor zones are not mere accretions, but rather extensions of the core living areas, their furthest walls, so to speak. Landscapes — a suburban garden, the nearby ocean or a surrounding forest — are fully integrated into a domestic environment that celebrates the act of gazing out.

What more perfect example of this than the pavilion at Pomona in Queensland? Lindsay and Kerry Clare designed this house for a retired couple who wished to enjoy the distant panorama of the Glasshouse Mountains from their inland hilltop site.

A simple, small-scale pavilion, raised above grassy terrain and roofed with a simple gable with generous overhangs, is built of plywood panels with glass louvers set into a lightweight steel frame. In spite of its diminutive scale, the interior is surprisingly spacious, with the principal living-dining area wrapped around the slatted bedroom area.

Rebuilding the City

Although Australia might still seem a young country, the formative phase of the nation's history took place over a hundred years ago in the 19th century. A substantial architectural record survives from this time, as may be seen in the Victorian cores of the major cities.

These inner-city zones are dotted with grandiose civic monuments, many now restored. They are also crowded with factories and warehouses, not to mention handsome row houses with cast iron balconies.

These industrial and residential relics are now much sought after as desirable dwellings by Australians keen to rediscover the virtues of city life. This process has accelerated in recent years, leading to a rapid revitalization of inner urban environments and the construction of new projects.

Building in the historical locales of cities imposes severe restrictions upon architects, but many have responded creatively to the challenge by adapting older properties to late 20th-century expectations. A popular solution for many householders is to leave intact the outer brick shells of their recently acquired factories and houses, and to remodel the interiors.

A striking example of this trend is Bob Nation's warehouse conversion whose interior was gutted in order to create an industrial-style apartment in Melbourne's Fitzroy.

Nation overcomes the problems of space limitation by reducing the kitchen and bathroom areas to functional annexes, and creating free-standing cupboards with multiple doors to serve as room-dividers. The result is a model of contrasts: a late modernist steel-and-glass fantasy that completely belies the original dilapidated and brick-faced exterior.

The living area is a single large space, with a cupboard-like kitchen flanked by glazed bedroom and bathroom annexes. Free-standing storage blocks open up ingeniously to serve as room-dividers. All other furniture is reduced to a minimum.

Life at the Beach

All of the major Australian cities are situated on or near the ocean. Generations of suburban Australians have lived near the water, creating an authentic beach culture which is still very much alive.

The earliest incarnation of the beach house in Australia was probably a simple wooden hut for changing, and for storing towels and umbrellas. Early 20th-century boxes at Brighton in Melbourne are now freshly painted in response to a growing appreciation of these primitive precursors of beach culture.

A later development was the fibro-cement shack which sprang up at weekend locales outside all the coastal cities and towns from the mid-century onwards. Though these unpretentious timber-framed structures were of little distinction, they provided uncluttered living areas and decks looking out over the ocean. Many such shacks are now being resuscitated in a bid to recapture the innocence of an earlier, simpler age.

Some new beach houses are consciously designed to emulate the original fibro shack, seeking new expressions for this simplest of all recreational structures. Architect Peter Maddison's towered cabin on Phillip island, two hours from Melbourne, is little more than one room on top of another, furnished in the most elementary manner. Outside, the house is articulated by angled timber trusses, slatted decking and louvered sun guards.

In this smallest of beach huts, Maddison links two superimposed rooms with a spiral staircase that ascends to the rooftop. The lower level houses bedroom and bathroom, while the upper has a kitchen-living area opening onto a timber deck.

The deck is supported on struts and shielded by an angled and louvered overhang. The contrast between these strongly expressed timber components and the flat fibro wall cladding, together with the project's diminutive scale, gives the house an almost Japanese appearance.

Whether at the beach, in the city, or on a hilltop, these houses reflect the new Australian flare in combining sophistication and tradition.

George Michell and John Gollings were trained as architects at the University of Melbourne. Michell has traveled widely and written on the buildings of diverse cultures including Architecture of the Islamic World and The Royal Palaces of India. Gollings is one of Australia's leading photographers.

This article is excerpted from New Australia Style, copyright © 1999, published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, and available from Amazon.com.

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An essential part of any beach house in chilly Victoria, the fireplace is incorporated into the kitchen in Peter Maddison's cabin on Phillip island. Photo: John Gollings Bob Nation's warehouse conversion involved gutting the interior to create an industrial-style apartment. Behind the kitchen, a sliding glass panel leads to the bedroom. Photo: John Gollings The timbered deck of Maddison's cabin, carried on triangular struts, gives the house the appearance of a lifeguard's lookout tower. Photo: John Gollings New Australia Style, by George Michell, published by Chronicle Books. Photo: John Gollings   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.