When Martin and Casey Johnston added a stand-alone studio to their property in a flood-prone region on the east coast of Australia, they baked disaster resilience into the design. They just didn’t expect to have its limits tested so soon.

Within a month of the project’s completion, a record-breaking flood inundated their quiet, coastal town of New Brighton, in New South Wales. Martin, Casey, and their two children, Raph, six, and Ozzy, four, were evacuated, unsure of what damage they would find on their return.

“We’ve seen a few floods…but nothing like that,” Casey says. “The water was just coming so quickly.”

The couple both grew up in this subtropical region, so they recognize floods as a part of life. Their designer, Justin Twohill, also lives in the area and keeps the environment front of mind in his work. “In this area, climate is everything—and recent years have illustrated that even more,” Twohill says, referencing the devastating 2019–20 wildfires that saw even rain forests ignite.

For this reason, the couple selected sturdy materials such as galvanized steel posts, core-filled concrete blocks, and fibro cement sheeting. The interior is wrapped in water-resistant oriented strand board made from rubber trees, and the exterior is clad in hardwood charred through a Japanese technique, making it both weather and fire resistant. Crucially, they set the floor above the recommended 100-year-flood level. “It’s your home—you want your family to feel safe within it,” explains Martin, a second-generation furniture maker. “Raising the building was just something that we had to do.”

“My focus is on making the space feel good—and connected to land, views, and climate.”
—Justin Twohill, designer

When the couple returned to see how the structure fared in the flood, they were shocked to discover water had risen to the height of the deck—almost two meters—and had seeped into the floors through the substrate. “We freaked out,” Martin says. “But that’s where the oriented strand board came into its own.… It is such an industrious material.” All they had to do was dry the interior with gas heaters and sand the floors. Core sampling has since shown that the studio is mold free.

The couple have gotten back to enjoying the space. Designed as a flexible second dwelling, the studio hosts friends and family and serves as an occasional retreat for Casey and Martin. Its simple floor plan, consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living area, is divided by a bookcase/wardrobe built by Martin, making it adaptable; in the future, the space may become an office, a showroom for Martin’s furniture, or a teenager’s pad. “If you create a generous space that feels right, then it can accommodate all those things,” Twohill says.

Although it was built to resist the elements, the studio welcomes them, too. Ocean breezes waft through the large sliding-glass doors, bringing birdsong from the surrounding trees. Two angled box windows in the rear wall drench the space in afternoon sunlight. And, when the weather turns, the interior transforms into a cozy bolt-hole. “It’s the perfect spot when it’s raining,” Casey admits with a laugh.

Project Credits:

Architecture: Justin Twohill

Structural Engineering: Chad Ings

Cabinetry: Martin Johnston

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Smart Design Saved This Backyard House From a Devastating Flood