Designed as a rural retreat for a tree change engineer and artist couple with occasional family visitors the house is approached from the south with air locked entry into an east-west axis aligned, main-spine skillion roofed open living space.
The main views are to the east and the windows to the east and west which provide through breezeway ventilation are shaded by extending the skillion out over the pool to the east and out to form the car port to the west. Northern glazing is provided at each end of the living space and in the form of clerestory windows over the master bedroom skillion roof to the north.
The central roof panel is lifted, appearing to float above the glazed spandrel panels and allowing tracking shafts of sunlight to delineate the day and enliven the interior. The central axis proceeds from the entry and living space between the guest bedroom and scullery to glazed doors below the clerestory windows above, into the master bedroom and provides views through to the distant landscape beyond.
The scullery layout provides service areas to the open plan kitchen in the living area and direct access from the garden for home-grown produce collection with simultaneous access to the powder room/shower for clean up whilst still being accessible from the main passage and in close proximity to the guest bedroom.
Thermal mass is provided in the concrete slab on ground augmented by the use of very low carbon footprint calcium silicate blocks for all internal walls. The external envelope is light steel wall frames with insulated voids clad in a selection of vertical and horizontal corrugated – no maintenance – Zincalume and 75mm expanded polystyrene cladding with durable acrylic render on the rising and setting sun exposed east and west walls.
Energy efficiency has been enhanced by the selection of double glazed UPVC windows and doors which have allowed the owners to include extensive glazing – making the most of the spectacular views from their chosen home site.