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Horizon – 2024 HIA-CSR Australian Home of the Year Winner

Winner of the 2024 HIA-CSR Australian Home of the Year, Horizon at Separation Creek responds to a steep, flame zone coastal site with a resilient green roof, corten steel terraces and a firepit garden framed by ocean views.

Published
March 4, 2026
By
By: Paal Grant

Summary

Horizon at Separation Creek, winner of the 2024 HIA-CSR Australian Home of the Year, turns a steep BAL-FZ coastal site into its greatest strength. A flame zone compliant green roof, tiered corten embankments and a firepit garden framed by ocean views anchor the architecture to place.

Table Of Contents
Modern concrete and timber home nestled in coastal bushland at sunset with vertical corten steel entry signage, Separation Creek
Corten steel weathers naturally into coastal tones, marking arrival while the home sits quietly within native scrub. Concrete and timber respond to the steep terrain without competing with ocean views.
Perforated corten steel staircase descending through concrete architecture at Horizon house, Separation Creek
Perforated corten steel steps down through the concrete structure, weathering naturally to echo the iron-rich coastal cliffs. The staircase connects upper living areas to lower garden zones.
Tiered corten steel retaining walls creating outdoor living spaces on steep coastal site at Separation Creek
Corten steel terraces step down the slope, weathering naturally to echo the iron-rich coastal cliffs. The green roof softens the architecture while meeting flame zone requirements.
Tiered corten steel retaining walls with gravel paths leading to modern coastal home with cantilevered roof at Separation Creek
Corten steel embankments step down the steep coastal slope, weathering naturally to echo the iron-rich tones of surrounding cliffs. We worked with the fall rather than resisting it.
Modern home with native grass green roof and corten steel terracing set into coastal bushland at Separation Creek
Native grasses across the cantilevered roof soften the architecture while meeting flame zone requirements. Corten steel terraces step down the steep coastal slope, weathering naturally to echo surrounding cliff tones.

Winning the 2024 HIA-CSR Australian Home of the Year was a milestone for everyone involved in Horizon. But the award represents more than design excellence. It reflects a shared commitment to turning the site’s toughest constraints, flame zone classification, extreme fall and ocean exposure, into the defining strengths of the design.

Perched above the Southern Ocean at Separation Creek, Horizon sits on a steep, flame zone site where bushfire risk, wind and slope shaped every decision. The architecture by Crosier Scott is bold yet restrained. The interiors by Carmen Grant Interiors bring warmth. Built by BCM Homes, the craftsmanship is precise.

For us, the landscape was about grounding that vision.

A flame zone compliant green roof softens the cantilevered form and draws the house back into the coastal scrub. Tiered corten steel embankments stabilise the slope while echoing the tones of the surrounding cliffs. Basalt steppers lead to an intimate firepit, shifting the experience from panoramic drama to quiet reflection.

The award acknowledges collaboration. More importantly, it affirms that resilient, climate responsive design can still feel deeply Australian, relaxed and enduring.

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