The Edge Hill Residence is located on the sloping terrain of Mount Whitfield, offering breathtaking views of Cairns, Trinity Inlet, and the Coral Sea. The design of the home was inspired by the goal of creating the illusion of a single-story structure that is deeply rooted in the earth, despite the challenging hillside location. To preserve a group of mature Hoop Pine trees on the property, the layout of the home was designed to flow around them in a linear form, consisting of a series of connected pavilions connected by a central breezeway. The house is arranged to allow for a gradual reveal of the stunning panoramic views, with box volumes oriented to present framed glimpses of the surrounding pine trees and ridgelines.
Upon entering the home through the breezeway, visitors are welcomed into a central living and kitchen area. From here, a cantilevered deck extends out towards the view, while a courtyard garden nestles into the hillside. The home also includes two-bedroom wings that jut out over the landscape, supported by concrete columns. These cantilevered volumes create space for the rainforest to flow under the building, blending the boundary between the built environment and the surrounding natural landscape. The use of the traditional Queenslander pillars, allow the building's dark texture to linearly lay a contrast among with its vibrant organic environment.
Raw and elegant, a material palette that vibrantly accentuates its rainforest surroundings while complementing the dark charred exterior of concrete and black ply cladding throughout the interior, including rough black timber ply and smooth black fiber cement paired with polished form concrete and fairfaced blockwork.
Team:
Architects: TPG Architects
Photographer: Andrew Watson
