Gnarwarre House is located on a large regional property in the Barrabool Hills west of Geelong and is surrounded by rolling hills and farmland. Stretching along the contours of the site, the residence is defined by a long pitched roofline and carries subtle references to the traditional Australian farmhouse. The elongated pavilion style layout stretches east to west to capture views and natural light, the house aligns with the natural contour of the land whilst providing a subtle sense of elevation to articulate horizon views. The expansive roof form, pitched to reflect the natural fall of the topography, offers a generous sense of shelter further emphasised by the depth of a central living and viewing deck. Entering the house at its mid-point, rooms are seen to be zoned with gathering spaces to the east and more private spaces to the west with wet areas/utilities running along the south. Generous circulation links the bedrooms which have been divided by structural bays and buffered by the robes. A sheltered deck and fireplace provide an informal entry point, separating a second living area and formal dining space linked to the living space by a central fireplace. The kitchen and meals areas run along the south of the living zone, complimented by viewing deck to the east which is protected from cold southerly winds by screens.

In Progress

Geilston Bay House sits within 16ha of relatively untouched native vegetation and overlooks the Derwent River to take in views to Mt Wellington and Geilston Bay. Adhering to passive house principles, the residence rests light upon its site, elevated on a structural platform spanning east to west to activate thermal qualities, retain the existing ecosystem and pay respect to a place of profound indigenous significance. Access is via a shared bush track winding around and up onto a central entry platform. The home’s elevation maintains internal privacy while accentuating views to Geilston Bay. A gently raking roof and internal louvres coax northern sunlight deep into the interior with the refined silhouette sensitively alluding to the nearby ridgeline. Separate from the main residence is guest accommodation accessed via a semi-sheltered linkway. Crossing the threshold, a small foyer connects to an elevated, open plan kitchen, generous dining and living area backdropped by south west views of Mt Wellington, Tasman Bridge and Hobart City. A generous lounge area forms a gathering space while a west facing viewing deck takes in afternoon sun while buffering the living volume from the strength of the high summer sun. Tucked behind the living area is the main bedroom and ensuite. A children’s study space is followed by a series of operable doors providing agile programming for tertiary bedrooms.

In Progress

The clarified external form of this small structure accompanies a more significant design for a residence in Tasmania and expands on the studio’s interest in a refined expression of materiality and crafted construction techniques. Timber battens are stacked to form a permeable perimeter to the sauna structure housing a communal shower space upon entry into the first chamber. Above a large occulus opens directly to the sky allowing glimpses of the tree canopy above and rain to fall to the grated floor below. Moving into the sauna space housed in the second chamber, the cylindrical room with a wood heater for the sauna located within the center of the space removes hierarchy and creates a shared experience for visitors with consistent spacing to the heat source. Consulting with leading experts of sauna design in Finland, the proportion and ventilation to the sauna space has been carefully designed alongside the finely crafted internal joinery create a unique sauna experience amongst the Australian landscape.

In Progress

Anglesea House is a generous and refined residence that maximises views to the Anglesea coastline while opening up broader vistas of the surrounding hillside. A clean, geometric approach to architecture is established by a precise horizontal roofline stretching lengthways across the site, with apertures and deep-set eaves mediating between providing generous light and protecting external entertaining and viewing decks. The home’s programming follows considered planning, continuing the sense of architectural clarity seen on the exterior through an efficient approach to structure and construction. Unfolding across two levels, a generous terrace welcomes visitors via a double volume entry where a drystone wall frames upstairs views onto existing vegetation to gently draw navigation up and through. At the top of the stairs, the view shifts to provide a wide-ranging outlook towards the coast whilst maintaining privacy through elevation and viewing angles. The lower level has been designed to act as a retreat space, utilising the natural fall of the site to create flexible sleeping spaces that can accommodate large groups as is traditional to the beach house vernacular.

Under Construction – Truform Construction

Ocean Grove Hill House is a simple beach retreat for a landscape designer and his young family. Designed across a single level and embracing a panoramic coastal backdrop, the residence is distinguished by its relationship to the surrounding terrain which is experienced from each room from the moment of arrival. Upon entry through an external garden courtyard, the interior of the house unfolds, stepping down to navigate the sloping topography of the landscape to embrace expansive volumes in social zones and reveal direct views through the living areas to the distant ocean views beyond. Planning provides a humble address to the streetscape and creates a sense of privacy provided by landscaped walls. Bedroom spaces open onto lush private gardens, and communal spaces extend towards the larger native background. A shared bathroom can also be accessed via a separate garden courtyard space. Masonry elements provide depth to the elevation as well as fostering a sense of privacy from adjacent neighbours. Highlight windows draw in an abundance of natural light which plays beneath exposed beams stretching from the entry right throughout the house, accentuating further the soaring spatial qualities captured within an efficient footprint to effortlessly enhance the quality of space.

Jan Juc House is a new family beach house designed to accommodate more permanent coastal occupation alongside comfortable space for visiting guests. The house is a quiet retreat reflecting the traditional beach house typology of the area through scale, form and materiality. A lightweight roof elevated to the north rests atop a series of regular structural frames to allow sun light deep into the living space while maintaining wide views to the south, skimming roofs of adjacent houses to take in views of the coastal cliff top vegetation and glimpses of the ocean beyond. Stepping into a light filled, double height entry and stairway, the spatial qualities are immediately lofty, a quality that continues through the upper floor to an elongated kitchen bordering the rear with living, dining and main bedroom accommodated on the same level. On the lower level, an atmosphere of quietude and privacy has been shaped through a flexible multipurpose office/retreat and guest bedrooms. The restrained material palette of muted timbers, simple cement sheet cladding and generous glazing subtly reference the coastal context allowing the tones of the surrounding native landscape to permeate the home.

Construction – John Mercer Builders
Photographer – Tom Ross
Stylist – Jess Kneebone
Landscape Design – Simon Taylor Landscape Design
Landscape Construction – Brett Essing Landscapes

Jan Juc Studio is a new house and studio conceived as a large deck beneath a canopy of eucalypts. The project is defined by its striking pattern language, simplicity of form and clarity of intent. Fusing with and activating its native coastal context. A veil of operable, permeable timber screens, arranged around a central core that provides privacy and utility while allowing movement to circulate freely, fosters passive and considered spatial qualities. Interior zones are simultaneously sheltered and awash with cinematic animation as sea breezes and dappled light are admitted according to the time of day and the position of the screen, forging a dialogue between the building, habitation and the elemental qualities of its site. Nurturing a sense of living on a platform immersed in the bush, the house is experienced as a single space that can be separated into zones as needed. Functionality is agile, guided by the task at hand to shape a building that is intrinsically flexible and supportive of many modes of occupation.

Construction – Surfcoast Construction
Photographer – Ben Hosking, Rory Gardner
Landscape Design – Simon Taylor Landscape Design
Landscape Construction – Brett Essing Landscapes

Australian Institute of Architects, Vic – New Residential – Award Winner
Architeam Awards – New Residential – Winner,
Featured media The Local Project issue 08, Archdaily, Architecture Australia

Lorne House is located within a high-risk bushfire area which informed the approach to a contained footprint and a highly considered material curation. A robust exterior provides further protection while integrating sensitively into a striking native bushland landscape. Accessed via an elevated deck space that rises out of the landscape to offer glimpses of the ocean and pier beyond, Lorne House fosters an intentionally informal entry which allows for a casual moment of calibration on arrival. Stepping onto the upper level the layout is open to panoramic views from the living space which spans the length of two perimeter decks encouraging light, ventilation and occupation across the plan. Bedrooms have been located along the north, acting as a quiet retreat while continuing the framing of verdant views over the beautiful bushland valley. Masonry elements provide both depth and privacy to the elevation, creating an architectural gesture which mitigates bushfires via protective blade wall configurations and the inclusion of flame zone fire shutters which have been integrated into the form of the structure to further protect the house.

Under Construction – Miles and Co Builders

You Yangs House is a generous new home for a young family located within the low-lying flatlands aside the granite ridges of Southern Victoria. The residence’s design echoes the context and utility of the many agricultural structures located in the area and provides a rich spatial generosity throughout rooms which have been thoughtfully zoned around a protected central courtyard. The roof line provides a powerful silhouette maximising ceiling height through the living areas and inviting sunlight deep into the house as it pitches north towards the adjacent bushland and distant mountain range. Inside, You Yangs House contains programming that intuitively mediates between family togetherness and opportunities for privacy within a robust material curation designed to wear in, not out as the children grow. Masonry and glass shape an architectural composition that becomes progressively lighter and increasingly expansive with bedrooms located in the lower, tapered volumes to leverage the cosy, haven-like qualities conducive to sleep and self-care while the other end devises a functional lightbox where daily patterns are carried out in a soaring, light-filled space which is agile and ever-evolving. You Yangs House demonstrates the functional beauty of architecture at its most pragmatic.

Construction – S K Dunstan Builders

Hepburn House has been designed to accommodate semi-permanent regional occupation for a family and their guests. In considering this mode of habitation, the house harbours an atmosphere of quiet retreat through generous volumes, the use of resilient natural materials and the constant, reassuring presence of the surrounding native landscape which is viewed from every room. Reflecting its context and regional housing typologies, Hepburn House carries a pitched-roof silhouetted and a covert sense of protection cultivated by scale, format and materiality. An extruded gable roof extends across the width of the site, gently angling north-east to harness solar qualities while following the central contours of the site’s natural gradient. Upon entry the view is temporarily concealed, providing a moment of calibration on arrival before revealing wide ranging protected views of the bushland horizon while concealing surrounding dwellings. The back of the plan nestles into the site while the east floats free. The gable crowns generous internal volumes with predominantly glass perimeters that strike a balance between openness and privacy. The living space operates as the heart of the house connecting front and back while the eastern facade features a generous deck connecting the various accommodation zones, doubling their depth and giving the impression of being projected out into the bushland.

Brown Hill House has been envisaged as a simple, robust form that reflects the natural fall of its site. Accommodating stepped floor plates delineating family zones, the design shapes a generous central courtyard cut from the form to allow natural light to penetrate. The central open space was designed around the tall gum trees scattered across the site, allowing the built environment to integrate within the existing natural one. A curved roofline is a further mediation, bending graciously around the treed landscape and inclining in sync with the slope of the site. Bunkering farther into the landscape as it falls from back to front, Brown Hill House is composed of a robust material selection arranged in clean volumes, leavening the elemental qualities of the surrounding landscape while finding an accord with them through a complimentary palette of soft greys and warm browns. Concrete brick walls provide weight and clarity, defining the perimeter of the building and allowing the roofline to gracefully extend above. The courtyard, which has been designed as a visual extension of the house, constantly present through generous glazing, ensures a further sense of visual connection between rooms.

Construction – Murphy James Builders
Photographer – Ben Hosking
Stylist – Jess Kneebone
Landscape Design – Simon Taylor Landscape Design

Architeam Awards – New residential commendation

Featured media – The Local Project, Design Anthology

Purnim House has been instilled with a strong structural clarity manifested via a new farmhouse pavilion. Containing living and main bedroom spaces, the addition stretches along the site and reflects the surrounding rural landscape. Offset from an existing bluestone cottage housing original bedrooms and guest zones, the new light filled space draws on the lines of the cottage to evolve it into a more enduring iteration and is elevated to enhance expansive views over the farming landscape. This new wing is counterbalanced by a formal entry link and deck which forge a further reconciliation between the new and existing structures and invites an abundance of light and ventilation through both. The clean linear silhouette of the pavilion extends lengthways across the landscape allowing the site to gently fall away below the raised floor which appears to hover above the ground at both ends to introduces a lightness within an otherwise restrained design language. The exposed structure of the regular steel frame identifies zoning for the communal spaces that overlook the distant rolling hills with private spaces behind opening to the more intimate volumes of a cultivated garden.

South Beach House features a generous square format footprint arranged around a large central courtyard. A solid perimeter wall provides a sophisticated external silhouette which creates a sense of internal privacy. Light and ventilation are drawn across an expanse of nature to permeate every corner of the interior from which views to vegetation are framed with the precise horizontal plane of the roof floating above. The position of the house engages with an existing central berm as a landscape gesture and positions the pool in an elevated location connecting to both the central courtyard and site beyond. Entry to South Beach House is beneath a deep eave that links to the main living and entertaining spaces to the south, maintaining privacy while allowing northern sunlight deep into living spaces and a sunken lounge area. In contrast to lightweight coastal typologies, South Beach House integrates into its site via a harmonious palette of concrete and stone establishing a complimentary backdrop that is resilient and embedded, counterbalancing the ethereality of light filtering through the surrounding gum trees and opening outwards towards selected garden spaces in a purposeful and thoughtful way.

Under Construction – S K Dunstan Builders

Torquay House is situated on a coastal site overlooking the ocean with wide-ranging coastal views over Fishermans Beach, Point Danger and the ocean horizon. The house responds to the streetscape, reflecting it through substantial glazing while presenting a sharp edge to the esplanade and a streamlined composition to help mitigate the force of onshore winds. On its lower-level, Torquay House has been designed to promote a sense of refuge and privacy in bedrooms and relaxation spaces through the integration of honed masonry, concrete ceilings and blackwood paneling, while the upper level reveals a generous open plan living area with a finer structural format beneath a roof that appears to float above. Precise steel work fabrication and meticulously crafted construction foster a visual language of refinement and finesse with a discerning sense of strength defined by the slender sharpness of the canopy spanning a durable masonry base.

Construction – S K Dunstan Builders
Photographer – Ben Hosking
Stylist – Bek Sheppard
Landscape Design – COS Design,
Landscape Construction – Brett Essing Landscapes

Australian Institute Architecture Awards – New Residential shortlist 2019, Houses Magazine Awards shortlist 2019. Featured media – Arch Daily, The Local Project, Enki, Dwell, Architecture Australia

North Melbourne House features a double volume alteration and addition to the rear of an existing single storey Victorian terrace house, opening up the once enclosed spaces to soaring volumes in the living area which are filled with light and distinguished by a refined structural composition. The double height volume houses a new bathroom, kitchen and living space on the lower level as well as a generous main bedroom and ensuite on the upper level which is suspended through vertical steel frames. The upper-level hood extends externally to provide privacy to and from adjacent properties, whilst elongating the footprint and directing outlooks to the rear of the site. The material palette has been carefully selected to compliment external compressed sheet cladding combined with refined steel edges to create a precise and functional enclosure within which a similarly refined monochromatic material palette is held. Honed bluestone flooring and steelwork combine to enrich the interior and sophisticated tones in the bathroom create an atmosphere of privacy and intimacy evoked by granite tiles, a continuation of bluestone and custom formed concrete bath and basins.

Construction – Warrick Home Builders
Photographer – Derek Swalwell
Stylist – Bek Sheppard
Landscape Design – Simon Taylor Landscape Design

Houses Magazine Awards – shortlist 2020.
Featured media – Arch Daily, The Local Project, Architecture Australia, The Design Emotive

Vineyard House is located on a large regional property in the Surfcoast hinterland west of Torquay and is surrounded by rolling hills and farmland. Set into the hillside overlooking the expansive property, the form of the house is informed by the natural contours of the site. Opening around a large planted courtyard, the buildings appears as a solid stone monolith with carefully considered penetrations set deep to reveal the mass of the walls while providing framed views of the distant hills and vineyard. The house reveals itself as it extends to the north and steps down with the slope of the site while the roof edge is carefully set to maintain a constant datum allowing the generosity of form to project above the rolling hillside.

In Progress

Kalinya Landing continues the studio’s ongoing interest in an Australian rural typology combining elements of prior works into a refined, elongated structure set alongside a national park and overlooking a granite outcrop. The house is wrapped in a large, protective, semi-adjustable shell over a series of regular structural bays that intentionally reference rural agricultural buildings. The internal spaces offer a degree of enclosed protection and generous views that draw sunlight in and through. A long plan provides access from the grounded west end, gently maintaining its height as the topography falls away below to frame distant easterly views over ancient rock formations while taking in the immediate panorama of the surrounding native landscape. The formal undercover veranda extends along the length of the house and can be entered from the south as the breezeway ramps down towards the easterly living area. A multifunctional middle bay includes an adaptive guest room with fold down beds, built in bunk and storage connected by large panel doors separating a study and sitting area.
The material palette at Kalinya Landing further references the rural vernacular utilising a combination of sheet metal around the perimeter with refined guttering and detailing. Internally, spaces are composed of clean lines and balanced proportions carefully lined in a warm material palette to instill the residence with a sense of wellbeing through daily life.

In Progress

Capri house continues the studio’s exploration of a coastal suburban typology with interest in an operable and refined architectural language. The house is located in Jan Juc, surrounded by a mix of residential formats including the typical beach shack typology of the area. With pockets of distant view toward the rugged coastline, Capri house presents as a clarified form to the street address. Clad in permeable steel sliding screens to the north and south that allow the occupants to mediate privacy, sunlight, and weather. Entering at a split level between the outer fabric of the permeable screens and the external timber wall of the house provides visitors with a generous entry gesture which opens to a sheltered deck at the upper level. Externally the material palette is intentionally restrained which continues internally with the operable screens providing animation and protected views of the landscape beyond.

In Progress

Ballarat House is defined by its edited architectural language through dedication to a core set of key design gestures and the refined handling of an otherwise robust palette. Programming has been developed to allow a degree of internal flexibility, grouping the living spaces required for daily living patterns towards the rear to take advantage of the northern sun and allow the house to extend out into the back yard. One first encounters the refined edge of the folded steel gutter before transitioning along the entry deck as the residence continues to unfold toward the rear of the site. The increasing height of the ceiling pitch draw navigation through toward the living spaces – a welcoming and generous gesture given to the modest footprint of the house. The ceiling continues to rake to the north, enhancing the humble scale of the entry to articulate the generous living volume, culminating in the permeable north elevation that welcomes the native garden space beyond.

Construction – Tim Rickard Construction
Photography – Ben Hosking

Australian Institute Architecture Awards – New Residential shortlist 2019, Houses Magazine Awards shortlist 2019.

Featured media – Houses Magazine, Arch Daily, The Local Project, Dwell, Dezeen, The Design Files, Architecture Australia, Divisare