The site for this weekender is a part bush, part cleared block at the remote end of a dirt road in Highlands, north of Yea in country Victoria.
The entrance track passes a 1950s shearing shed and orchard, used as a campsite by the clients for 25 years, then winds through a nearly mature eucalypt plantation planted by the clients, crosses a waterway and arrives at an open grassed area, scattered with large boulders. The house is sited on the north slope of a small hill, with long views to the north over farmland and a short view south, back to the hill.
With a similar brief, the design of this weekender is based on the same principles as Potato Point House (2011). The clients have three adult sons and hope the house will be used independently and collectively by their extended family. Taking as precedent the work of Guildford Bell (1909-1992) the house uses tightly planned, axially ordered spaces and simple materials to achieve a theatrical setting.
The house is entirely off the grid, is designed to Bushfire Attack Level 19 and is designed to remain comfortable in both extremes of cold and heat with minimal energy use.
Completed 2016