The word “constraint” sometimes carries negative connotations. However, dealing with constraints can push architects to achieve great things – and this house by DFJ Architects, located in a small coastal hamlet north of Byron Bay, is an elegant example.
The overriding limiting factor was a tight budget, but, as DFJ’s Dominic Finlay-Jones says, “At least it’s a clear constraint to have. You don’t have to second-guess it. You can say, ‘No, we can’t afford that, get rid of it.’” For him, the project really did become “a design exercise in reduction – how small can this building be, but still work?”
As well as budgetary constraints, the near-level, sandy site also came with limitations. There were both flood and bushfire overlays to consider, a need to conserve significant vegetation, and…
