Cake House: A Coastal Icon Reborn with Sustainability at Heart

On a windswept headland on Yuin Country, a once-humble beach shack has been transformed into a benchmark for sustainable living. Known locally as Cake House, a nod to its striking roof form, the project reimagines a cherished local landmark through adaptive design and material performance.

Featured on Australia ByDesign Season 7, Episode 1, Cake House shows how thoughtful design, local collaboration and robust materials can deliver homes that are both climate-ready and community-conscious.

Respecting Place, Reimagining Form

Originally a modest fibro shack perched above the coast, the home was a familiar marker for surfers and locals. Rather than replace it with a larger volume, Alexander Symes Architect chose to work within the original footprint, responding to the scale and spirit of the place.

The roof form, sharp and angular, references the home's original silhouette, while every line of the structure is designed to support passive solar gain, cross ventilation and long-term comfort. On the lower ground level, thermally massive bedrooms provide protected retreat spaces, while elevated living areas open to ocean views.

The home also accommodates large family gatherings during the holidays through a flexible, multi-zone plan, demonstrating that modest scale can still deliver spatial generosity.

Built for Performance

With sustainability as a core priority, Cake House achieves net-positive energy performance, returning around 7,000 kWh/year to the grid. Powered entirely by electricity, the home operates in a hybrid passive house/passive design mode, adapting to seasonal needs while maintaining high thermal efficiency.

Every aspect of the build was designed with durability and longevity in mind, from the robust concrete bunker-style base to the landscaping strategies that anticipate future coastal hazards.

Local trades were engaged throughout the project, reinforcing its connection to place and ensuring that investment returned to the community.

Roofing That Withstands the Elements

With its exposed location and salt-laden winds, the roof of Cake House needed to do more than look good, it had to last. The architect selected PERMALITE®

LT7®, a high-performance aluminium profile designed specifically for corrosive environments, supplied through Lysaght.

The choice of PERMALITE® LT7® offered:

• Long-term durability in coastal conditions
• Lightweight, low-maintenance performance
• A clean, linear aesthetic that echoes the home’s minimalist form

Paired with the home’s net-zero operation and restrained palette, the material reinforces both the performance and architectural language of the design.

Featured on Australia ByDesign

As part of Lysaght’s ongoing partnership with Australia ByDesign, Cake House was selected to appear in Episode 1, Season 7, an episode celebrating innovation, sustainability and design excellence.

Through this feature, audiences are offered a closer look at how Australian architects are using locally made, performance-focused materials to create homes that are resilient, beautiful and deeply connected to place.