Description:

The client brief was to create a responsible, modest home nestled within a small and steep site as an oasis connected to nature in the midst of suburbia. It needed to be able to be split as two dwellings in the future for intergenerational use, and engage strongly with the sensory needs of the couple’s two neurodiverse children.

Drawing inspiration from the site’s rural past, the house pays homage through the use of claddings reminiscent of vernacular red sheds. Splitting the building along the axis of the historical farm access track it occupies, the design integrates with the landscape, embracing its surroundings.

The building is crafted to engage the senses. Cypress timber, left unsealed to breathe and exude its natural fragrance, invites tactile exploration. Corrugated iron and single skin canopies invite the soothing rhythm of rainfall, while the texture of vertical iron beckons one to run their hands along its surface, creating a symphony of sensations. The softwood interior timbers, intentionally selected to age gracefully, bear the marks of time, weaving a narrative of the occupants' lives into the very fabric of the home.

Privacy from the street is paramount, yet the home opens up along strategic axes, revealing views of the harbour. Surrounded by towering trees, the building becomes one with its environment, offering an experience of living among the trees.