Architect Surf Coast

The Surf Coast is where Zen Architects has its second studio, in Jan Juc, and where some of our most important work stands. A house that harvests its own power and water. A 1970s beach house taken apart and rebuilt from its own materials. A certified passive house on a bushfire-rated site in Anglesea.

These are not homes designed from a distance. They were designed by architects who live and work on this coast, for clients who wanted a house that belongs to it. Every project is led by our directors, Ric Zen and Luke Rhodes.

Built here, not just designed for here.

Jan Juc

Jan Juc is home to our Surf Coast studio and to four of our projects. The Autonomous House is designed to harvest its own power and water and treat its waste on site. Its small footprint weaves between existing trees, positioned where a fallen gum tree had opened the canopy to northern light.

Zen House went further with what already existed. A 1970s beach house was carefully dismantled and its materials reassembled into a new home, with radially sawn timber fins. Boulevard Beach House sits one block from the beach, and Light House completes the group.

Anglesea

The Anglesea Passive House sits in coastal heathland on a site rated BAL 29 for bushfire. It is certified to passive house standard, which meant the bushfire envelope and the airtight envelope had to be resolved together. Reclaimed turpentine and ironbark screening wraps the house, and its 200 square metre footprint was kept compact to protect as much of the bush as possible.

Torquay

Torquay is a few minutes from our Jan Juc studio, and much of our coastal work starts with clients who have lived in or holidayed in the town for years. See our work as an architect in Torquay.

Aireys Inlet and Lorne

Further along the Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet and Lorne bring steeper sites, denser bush and longer views. We have not yet completed a project in either town, but the questions are the ones we answer every day in Jan Juc and Anglesea: how to place a house among the trees, how to meet a bushfire rating without losing the view, and how to choose materials that weather well by the sea.

Designed for wind, salt, fire and light.

Coastal sites test a house harder than most suburban blocks. Salt air, strong winds, bushfire ratings and long summer light all shape what works. On the Surf Coast we design around them from the first sketch: orientation for winter sun, shelter from the prevailing wind, materials that age well rather than fail, and a bushfire response built into the architecture rather than added afterwards.

Custom Coastal Homes

New homes designed for one site and one family. Nothing predetermined.

Reuse and Renovation

Where an existing beach house has value, we keep it, as we did at Zen House.

Passive House and Self-Sufficient Homes

From certified passive house to fully self-sustaining, we have built both on this coast.

A private conversation with one of our architects about your Surf Coast property. Arrange a design consultation

Questions worth answering.

Does Zen Architects have a studio on the Surf Coast?

Yes. Alongside our main studio in Richmond, we have a second studio in Jan Juc. It means we know the coast's sites, councils, builders and conditions first hand, and we can meet on site easily.

Can an old beach house be reused rather than demolished?

Often, yes. At Zen House in Jan Juc, a 1970s beach house was carefully dismantled and its materials reassembled into a new home. Reuse is not right for every house, but it is always worth assessing before demolition.

Which materials last best in a Surf Coast home?

Materials that are chosen to weather, not to stay new. Durable hardwoods, timber that silvers naturally and robust detailing that sheds water and salt all age well by the sea. At Anglesea we used reclaimed turpentine and ironbark.

Can a coastal home be self-sufficient for power and water?

Yes. The Autonomous House in Jan Juc harvests its own power and water and treats its waste on site. Whether full self-sufficiency suits your site and household is something we work through early in the brief.

Do you design homes in Aireys Inlet and Lorne?

Yes. We work along the Great Ocean Road as well as in Jan Juc, Torquay and Anglesea. The same principles apply: careful siting among the trees, a considered response to bushfire ratings, and materials suited to the coast.

We also work on the Mornington Peninsula, and across Melbourne from our Richmond studio.