For a couple in the midst of downsizing, this house in Kyneton, Australia by Edition Office captures the autumnal light, colour and textures of its surroundings. Throughout, beautiful natural materials and textural finishes play with ever-changing light to create a colour palette that is both subtle and warm. Every room offers a connection with the outdoors, creating an interplay of humanity with nature.
Situated well back from the road, the house is positioned as a discreet volume at the centre of the site, allowing the clients to envelop the home with a new garden that includes several trees relocated from their previous property. The clear geometry of the plan allows for continuous links to the garden and the ability to read the full length and width of the site from within.
A brickwork wall forms a key element, positioned to define the boundaries of the home and individual rooms. Each room is defined by its own lofted ceiling, which results in a sense of inner spatial balance to counter the continuous framed views of the gardens. The crisp, white ceilings pick up the fluctuating levels of natural daylight and provide the home with a sense of softness.
Key materials employed include recycled and texturally finished brick walls, pale low-carbon (high SCM content) concrete floors, and galvanised steel roof. Materials were selected based on their ability to reflect the changing effects of the weather and evolving patina of their surface.
The house has no AC or mechanical cooling, relying instead upon orientation, air-flow, shading and thermal mass to mediate internal thermal comfort. An air-exchange heat pump warms the floor slab when required in the cooler months.
