Imperative that the interior function rooms were a true extension of the Lonsdale identity, Howe 40/4 chairs were selected as the best match to the refined aesthetic. Likewise, meaningful outdoor spaces were carefully furnished with Derlot’s Strap collection.
The Lonsdale Links golf club is located on the Bellarine Peninsula south of Melbourne, where its 18-hole links course is integrated among sand dunes, salt marshes and wetlands on the edge of Lake Victoria. The clubhouse designed by local office Wood Marsh is positioned on the crest of a hill where it can be experienced from different sight lines, emerging above the trees as golfers navigate the course.
The lounge and restaurant feature a vibrant green carpet with curved edges that playfully evokes the golf course's fairways. Imperative that the interior function rooms were a true extension of the Lonsdale identity, Howe 40/4 chairs were selected as the best match to the refined aesthetic. David Rowland’s 40/4 Side Chair, designed in 1964, is often noted as one of the most important designs of the 20th century. The chairs were selected for this project due to its elegant lines, excellent ergonomics, and unsurpassed ability to create space without taking up space. The 40/4 chair is acclaimed as the first truly stackable chair, with its name as an expression of this fact: 40 chairs can be stacked within 4 feet.
The building responds to the coastal climate by hunkering down into the site. Its curved blade walls are finished in a textured render that emphasises its robust construction and connection to the earth. "Like ancient ruins, the softened contours of the building are meant to be embedded in the landscape, as though it has been there for a long time and will be for years to come," claimed Wood Marsh director Roger Wood.
Materials used across the building's exterior feature raw, weathered finishes that are appropriate to the coastal setting. The brown rendered walls and dark wood are complemented by bronze glazing that reflects the evening light. To compliment the coastal locale, meaningful outdoor spaces were carefully furnished with Derlot’s Strap collection. Inspired by the sun loungers of the 1970s, the Strap collection summons a sense of nostalgia for social swimming clubs and endless blue skies. But clean lines and hardwearing materials make the collection a timeless classic fit for modern times. Both elegant and durable, Strap is made from 70% recycled aluminium, which may be recycled again after the product has served its purpose—a situation which is rather unlikely.
Roger Wood and Randal Marsh established their practice in 1983 and have maintained a consistent focus on creating buildings with a sculptural quality that play on the combination of solidity and transparency while utilising limited and considered material palettes. For Lonsdale Links, Wood Marsh has produced both a destination and a sculpture, expertly executed both inside and out.
