Dolphin Sands Studio / Matt Williams Architects

This little building is a soft gesture of curved timber sitting aloft, generously hugging an expansive view of The Hazards. A place for quiet reflection, solitude, and respite for our beautiful clients.

Architects: Matt Williams Architects
Location: Dolphin Sands, Tasmania, Australia
Photography: Adam Gibson

The project was originally conceived as a viewfinder – based on the form of a slide- viewer held up to your eye – focussing the occupants on the view across Great Oyster Bay, to the Freycinet Peninsula. The other guiding idea was that of a solid tent – a structure that provided the shelter required on such an exposed site while maintaining the immediacy of the surrounding and greater landscape. Due to the size and arrangement of openings, you always feel close to the landscape and the weather.

The creative professional couple previously based in LA were seeking refuge and retreat. The Studio was required to provide short-term [1-2 months] accommodation for travelers from overseas – and so provide everything needed for an easy occupation of the site. From landing in Tassie, driving the coast road, arriving on-site, and walking the winding path to the Studio, the journey is intended as one of shedding, the noise, and demands, to find a place of peace and calm. While the footprint, at 36m2, is small, the form opens in both plan and section, allowing the volume to feel expansive. The very limited, richly-textured palette creates a building that is easily read, so it readily drops into the background, while subconsciously enriching the overall experience.