Wave House

The client, a successful young person with big plans wanted a house design that would not only suit him at the time as a bachelor, but a house that would suit him in the future with a family. A lover of the beach and a keen surfer, the ocean and an outlook west to the Indian Ocean was all important. There was to be an emphasis on entertaining and the design needed to include a swimming pool. 

The swampland that existed behind the primary dunes system in the North Beach area would have once provided a diverse source of food and would have been relatively sheltered from the prevailing winds from the ocean. These areas were inhabited by the Noongar people and within the Star Swamp reserve there remains evidence of their existence in the immediate area. Within Star Swamp: ‘In the vicinity of a wet depression to the west of here are trees that show evidence of scarring by Aborigines. The scars indicate that the trees were used by local Aborigines

for making such items as shields or bark dishes – a reminder of Australia’s original inhabitants who lived off the land and utilised it as a renewable resource.  Aborigines inhabited the south-west region of Western Australia in large numbers prior to European settlement, and George Fletcher Moore, an early settler in the colony, estimated that there were about 3,000 Aborigines in the Swan River Settlement alone. Unfortunately, they were the first to bear the full impact of European society and their traditional ways did not long survive the diseases and overpowering dominance of the new culture’. (Source: Heritage Trail – Star Swamp -Heritage Council of WA).

‘The name North Beach began as a descriptive name, derived from the suburb being at the time the most northerly of Perth's beaches. It was assigned in 1888 when surveyor Charles Crossland referred to the pastoral leases of Samuel Richard Hamersley as his "north beach coastal run". Originally set aside as a timber reserve in the mid 1800s, the area around Star Swamp was first settled by pastoralists in the 1860s. Two families in particular, the Brockmans and Hamersleys, had considerable pastoral interests along the ‘Old North Road’ which extended from Dog Swamp to Walkaway, south of Geraldton’. (Source: Heritage Trail – Star Swamp -Heritage Council of WA). It served as a stopping point and watering hole along the Coastal Stock Route between Dongara (near Geraldton) and Fremantle. Cattle drovers frequented the area and Afghan camel drivers were a common sight after the opening of the goldfields in the 1890s - the area also served as a quarantine area for camels entering the colony. A number of orchards operated in the area - the only evidence that remains today is an old olive tree on Hope Street. 

During the gold rush era, North Beach became a quarantine station for camels entering the country for service in the goldfields. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the area became a holiday destination for the people of Perth.

The areas of Carine, North Beach & Hamersley were originally owned since European colonisation times by the Hamersley family, who arrived from Europe to settle in the Swan River Colony in 1837 and built a summer home upon the top of Mount Flora, called "The Castle" in 1865, where their large family as well as the Perth elite congregated for summer holidays. During the goldrush era of the 1890s the pastoral industry in Stirling began to decline and, with the importation of camels, an area around Star Swamp was turned into a camel quarantine station. The Hamersley home became the Castle Hotel and, being close to Star Swamp, was the favourite meeting place for thirsty drovers and Afghan camel drivers. One former drover, Mr Ernie Brown (born in the 1890s), participated in the last cattle drive for the Hamersleys down the Coastal Stock Route. Mr Brown, recalled the wide variety of

bird life attracted to the Swamp, and that it was one of the most peaceful and beautiful watering places along the route from Dongara to Fremantle. (Source: Heritage Trail – Star Swamp -Heritage Council of WA). "The Castle" was later converted into the Castle Hotel, but after 75 years was demolished and subdivided in 1998. Having enjoyed many a Sunday Session at the Castle Hotel beer garden in my youth it is a great loss that the hotel is no longer in existence. Incredible really that a place with such significant history is allowed to be demolished.

The street in which Wave House is located, Muller Street, was named after the Muller family who had been early butchers in the area. The word ‘muller’ also means ‘flat stone for grinding’ in Noongar language.

Marmion Beach forms part of the Marmion Martine Park. The sandy and sheltered beach in of Mettams Pool is actually man-made and is not a natural basin of relatively open water. It was originally filled with sharp limestone reef, which made it hard for people to swim or even walk on the sand. In the 1930s World War I veteran Frank Mettam began the tedious task of slowly removing the limestone reef. In order to clear the sharp rocky terrain, Mr Mettam used explosives and a large crowbar. Mr Mettam’s grandson Kim said his grandfather wanted to create a “natural beach pool” for the community to enjoy. It took Mr Mettam, his children and grandchildren 35 years to remove the limestone reef.

The lagoon of Mettams Pool is less than two metres deep inside this naturally formed lagoon. A good range of fish species resides within the pool, particularly in the holes and crevices in the southern section. They include red-lip morwong, banded sweep, bullseyes, wrasse, schools of buffalo bream, sea mullet, tarwine and blowfish. Sand whiting and Australian herring can be seen in the open water. You may also notice a few anemones growing within the pool, while cushion stars, abalone and other shellfish species hide in the rocky reef top. While the snorkelling inside the lagoon is easy, the surge can be strong on the outer edge of the reef. Beware of cobblers in the weed near the shore. (Source: Explore Parks WA).

The grungy beachside nature of the area has been embraced in the design of the house. The house has a sculptural form with the main roof representing the breaking curve shape of a wave. The protruding ‘box’ form popping out from beneath the ‘wave’ form roof represents the mist and surfer exiting the wave.

The house has been positioned to maximise the view to the ocean and to Mettams Beach. While the floor levels have been maximised to enhance the ocean view, the house sits comfortably within the adjoining houses in the streetscape. The design of the house responds to the west facing view with layers of protection from the elements of sun and wind. The outdoor spaces are orientated to north where the winter sun penetration is maximised and the area is protected from the prevailing wind.

The planning and form of the building have been designed to provide the external entertaining and living areas with protection from the often-fierce winds from the west and southwest over the ocean. These protected outdoor areas are also orientated to north to obtain full access to sunshine. The west facing balcony / alfresco area is able to be enclosed for protection from the wind. The west face is also provided with remote controlled retractable aluminium louvres for protection from the hot afternoon sun in summer.