The Long Lap – Innovative CLT Construction by The Rubix

From the outset, the brief for The Long Lap was refreshingly honest. No discussion of resale value, market appeal, or conventional priorities. In this cross laminated timber construction, the aim was simple: to create a house unapologetically tailored to the way its owners live. Every space, surface, and decision was shaped by personal routines like morning swims, time in the studio, and meals that spill into the garden. It is a home designed purely for them, without concession to what others might expect. Set quietly behind the original front cottage, the dwelling distils simplicity, sustainability, and connection into a light-filled retreat that allows its owners to age in place without compromise. Designed for a retired couple who value practicality as much as creativity, the home adopts a restrained, shed-like form that blends with the coastal vernacular.

The design reinterprets the humble garden shed as a refined and purposeful dwelling, one that opens effortlessly to the outdoors and embraces the rhythms of daily life. A 25-metre lap pool runs the full length of the house, extending beyond both the front and rear façades so the surface can be seen from out the front, out the back, and from within the home via a series of contemporary bay windows.

Built using CLT construction, the house celebrates raw material honesty and restraint. External materials are carried indoors to blur the threshold between house and landscape, while personal details like breezeblocks and planting express the clients’ creativity. Every element is considered and deliberate, from the multifunctional art studio and laundry to the workshop tucked neatly beneath the raised floor.

Internally, the layout reads as a single, expansive studio. Aside from the wet areas, no walls are used to divide or conceal. Instead, low partitions, curtains, and subtle level changes provide gentle separation between zones for sleeping, living, and working. Sound, light, and activity flow freely through the space, creating a sense of continuous occupation, creating a home to inhabit as one complete experience rather than a series of rooms.

Despite its simplicity, the project resolves complex challenges of site. Located on flood-prone land, the raised structure provides accessibility through gentle changes in height rather than staircases. These shifts define spatial boundaries while maintaining a seamless connection to the pool and garden, with provision made for future stairlifts to ensure the home remains functional for decades to come. Sustainability is integral rather than ornamental. The elevated floor conceals services and maximises water storage, and cross-ventilation flows naturally through the open plan. The result is a modest and deeply personal place where practicality meets poetry.

The Long Lap is less a victory lap than a humility lap, a home that proves living simply can also mean living fully. It captures the essence of a life surrounded by nature, sustained by thoughtful design, and grounded in the quiet beauty of the everyday.

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