Having secured a small rural holding on the outskirts of Orange, our clients wanted a home for their growing family that facilitated a relaxed rural lifestyle and one that captured the beautiful views available from the site. The site slopes gently to the north and more dramatically to the west, with the land rising to the south behind the house which has allowed the house to be nestled into the site, protected from the strong south westerly winds.
The house is broken into 2 simple linear forms that slide past each other, forming a protected entry courtyard with the third perpendicular garage form, and maximizing access to light and views through the expansive northern aspect. At the western end, the house rises out of the landscape and opens to the key views through dynamic steel plate windows boxes. A protected outdoor space is integrated into the main northern form and acts to extend the internal living space. The roof form on the rear pavilion lifts to the northern sun providing a perfectly angled and oriented base for the house’s photovoltaic system.
All roof water is collected in the 120kL tank that allows the site to be self-sufficient with regards to water. Passive environmental systems were key in the design with a generally single depth floor plan with cross ventilation paths, extensive thermal mass, a rigorously insulated envelope and carefully designed shading and screening to all openings to manage the ingress of sun. The materials are robust and bold, but the detailing is refined and highly considered. Vertical metal cladding, concrete, steel and glass is juxtaposed against the warmth of rammed earth walls and the softness of the landscape. The modest budget was met through the use of a refined, simple plan, off site fabrication and the use of standard construction process and a simple palette of materials.
