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Gold Coast Pavilion
by Michael J. Crosbie
A pair of pristine pavilions in the wilds of Queensland, Australia, near the historic town of Mudgeeraba, embodies a number of precedents from the Modern Movement that coalesce to form a comfortable retreat. Designed for a ballet teacher and artist who lives with her husband and mother, the so-called Gold Coast House accommodates many different activities in a relatively compact 4,500 square feet (500 square meters). In addition to providing a private apartment for the owner's mother, the house offers places for displaying art and for teaching dance, all within the sweep of the Queensland outback. Architects Stephanie Smith and Ken McBryde of the Sydney-based firm, innovarchi, explain that the house was conceived as "a fishbowl with somewhere to get dressed." The house rides the grasslands of its elevated site and is approached from "behind," via an upper-story terrace that unites two glass pavilions. Parking is on the lower level, where one finds an art gallery, art studio, and ballet studio. This lower level is somewhat opaque, with masonry block construction, while the upper level is open and airy, with panoramic, 270-degree views.
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