Unique Australian Luxury Home Design With Slim Sliding Glass Doors
Sorrento House is a bespoke villa on the south coast of Australia. The large coastal house was designed with large slim framed sliding doors as one of the key architectural features.
Overlooking the Bass Strait, the site is blessed with a rare opportunity to capture expansive views of the coast and surrounding landscape. The client’s brief to the architects included their key objective; to preserve the fluid nature of movement from inside to out. This included light, views as well as the occupants of the space.
The specification of slim sliding glass doors to the project ensured that all these requirements were met. The glass spans from floor to ceiling with no framing on show, minimising the division between the inside and the external landscape for the occupants.
When open, the sliding glass doors offer a seamless moving transition to the outdoor pool area and surrounding decking.
The position and orientation of the glass doors were important to the design in terms of transparency as well as balancing this with security. This synergy between structure and architectural glass was a careful consideration on the architect’s part, ensuring that the building sat quietly within the surrounding landscape.
Indigenous trees surround the property location which thins out on the coastal elevation allowing the view of the ocean from the living and bedroom areas. The architectural glazing was carefully chosen to frame this Australian vista with minimal interruption.
The architectural design focused on simplicity of form. The external facades are completed with only three materials: concrete, Corten steel and architectural glass. These different materials were carefully coordinated between parties to ensure a harmonious interaction on all interfaces. The outer framing of the slim sliding glass doors is hidden with the external façade materials to allow the architectural glass to flow into the structure.
With the location and climate of the country, the glass within the slim sliding glass doors was specified with a high-level solar control coating to suit the climate of Australia. This is visible in high levels of sun, providing the glass with a high level of protection from overheating. This was a key part of the energy efficiency plan of the building, to minimise cooling costs and ensure a comfortable internal environment. Solar control glazing does nothing to disrupt or limit the views out through the sliding glass doors, nor does it dimmish the light into the building. It is an essential specification addition for architectural glazing in warm climates or areas with direct sunlight.
Protection against overheating is also achieved thanks to the large overhangs that surround each window reveal. The slim sliding glass doors have been set back into the building, using the concrete walls as sun protection and privacy screen.
The intended use of the villa was as a holiday villa in Australia. The architecture and design of the building, as well as the specification and use of architectural glazing help to construct a building that can be used in individual sections or as one whole.
The kitchen area, dining room and living spaces are all located on the first floor of the house in the west wing. Large slim sliding glass doors afford these spaces views over the beach. The bedrooms and guest rooms are all located in the east wing of the property which all benefit from their own framed view of the Australian landscape thanks to the architectural glazing.
These two wings flag a central outdoor pool of which slim sliding glass doors surround. The slim 21mm sightlines of the glass doors allow the pool to become part of the house interior. Flush thresholds across the base of the sliding doors ensure a comfortable movement from the pool to the house even in bare feet.
An architectural glass façade creates a link between the two wings of the building. The double height glass link houses the entrance to the home, providing direct views from the entrance hall to the coastal view.
Overall, the design of the villa works with the landscape and environment within which it sits, utilising clever applications of architectural glazing with the Australian setting to both protect and enhance the living environment for the occupants.
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The building was designed by Matyas Architects and the glazing installed by Thermeco.