Macedon Ranges, Australia.
Intended for a beautiful rural site in the semi remote area of Hesket in the Macedon Ranges, 2 hours north of Melbourne, this house for a performance horse rider and trainer draws on both the local rural traditions for this notoriously cold part of Australia, as well as the farmhouses of our client’s past growing up on the Isle of Man. The wet cold and windy winters and significant constraints for vegetation protection and bushfire safety have also influenced the concept for a single level, broken courtyard house constructed from recycled bricks.
Our client had already lived on the site for some time and had an excellent sense of the particular micro climate and her needs. This was to be a working farm, not a precious showpiece, and something that resonated strongly with both the timeless landscape and her desire for a place that appealed to her own ideas about the lifestyle she wanted to lead and the character of the spaces. The house employs traditional construction methods, but utilising salvaged materials and a type of rudimentary and honest approach to detailing. The house is essentially one room wide and winds its way around a north facing courtyard, protected from the cold southerly winds.
The courtyard and views from key rooms enjoy a prospect toward a grove of trees in a small valley to the immediate north of the site. It is carefully sited and the planning arranged to frame other views to the south and west. A key concept underpinning the design is the idea of an eroded form, responsive to entry, views and aspect. Where the form is “excavated” walls have a white, bagged and painted finish and the desire for something that feels very handmade or crafted has affected both the use of recycled bricks and patterns in the brickwork. Generous double glazed windows, metal framed, are bush fire rated and yet allow a high quality of natural light filled space.
