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The greatest writings, those that take our breath away or that tear a tear from us, need to be conceived in a suggestive place: an ermo hill, in the rain in a pine grove or in a silent starry night, marked only by the jagged waves that crash down on a cliff not far away. This was the thought of the English writer, poet and playwright Charles Lamb.

And perhaps thanks to its suggestiveness Burleigh Heads Beach, a town on the Gold Coast in Australia, has been able to inspire Koichi Takada in his recent Norfolk project.

Norfolk is a ten-story property offering its residents every desirable comfort in its fifteen unique apartments or two split-level penthouses with private rooftop pools. the extraordinary wellness facilities are located on the ground floor, in order to enjoy the privileged position all year round, including a gym, an outdoor swimming pool and a sauna.

“The Norfolk sculptural facade references the inner workings of the Norfolk pine trees, a natural icon in the Gold Coast region ,” says Takada. ” Just as their pine cones protect its seeds from the elements and split open when in ideal natural settings, Norfolk’s architecture can be adapted to protect residents from the elements or to accommodate the 300 days of subtropical sunshine and the incredible natural environment.”

The floating balcony slabs have been designed and built overlapping to provide shade to the outdoor spaces below, while the sliding blade screens can be positioned for privacy or protection from the elements in the same way that the pinecone protects the seeds of the Norfolk pine.

Curved horizontal slats form the central spine of this sculptural building and accentuate the expression of its organic design by acting as a sunscreen element during the summer, providing privacy while allowing uninterrupted ocean views. The materiality of the structures is blended with the surrounding landscape, with the colors and textures of the sand, water, trees and sky, creating a building that identifies with the maritime landscape but at the same time retains its identity.

The natural wood floors of the apartments continue into the outdoor spaces and allow the living spaces to pour onto large balconies, eliminating the distinction between inside and outside.

For more on this project, visit Norfolk

Full feature by Design Teller, here