Cavill House by Hayes and Scott

Visiting my nan’s apartment in Northcliffe on the Gold Coast during the 1990s, I distinctly remember passing a particular house as I walked to the surf at sunrise. On numerous occasions, bodies were sprawled out on the verandah and lawn, fast asleep, a fallen keg a reminder of the night before. Here, life was lived outdoors in the public realm. Little did I know that this was the Cormie House (1948) by Hayes and Scott and that Northcliffe had been an epicentre of experimental coastal architecture by Geoffrey Pie, Karl Langer and Hayes and Scott.

Edwin Hayes had a childhood connection to the Gold Coast, having attended