Wilson’s Cottage is a truly special reef house located on the serene World Heritage-listed Lizard Island in far North Queensland. Built using innovative construction techniques to not disturb the unspoilt site, the cottage sensitively nestles itself into a rugged, secluded island landscape.

With an eye to the physical qualities of the World Heritage-listed site and the project’s complex procurement process, the design concept was not only about touching the earth lightly but also about receding into the landscape and hugging the slope on the hill so that the physical presence of the house could be somewhat hidden in its surroundings. It was key that the arrival sequence from the beach below up to the cottage on the hill be meaningful and evocative. By subduing the cottage into the landscape, the cottage would creep into vision as you climbed, as though it were emerging out of the landscape. Upon arriving at the house, the surprise of the expansive, refined interiors would be followed by turning to see the incredible views of the Pacific Ocean.

Designing how to build the cottage was just as important as the design of the cottage itself. It was of utmost importance that the construction process was ecologically sensitive with no impact on the landscape below. This required a lot of forethought on both ours and the builder’s part, resulting in a solution whereby all materials were delivered by barge to a floating pontoon which was then hauled into the beach. Materials were then winched overland to site on a mechanised A-frame hoist, leaving the landscape unaffected.

As a reflection of its remote, sometimes harsh environment, the physical form of the house is one of a robust outer timber shell designed to weather over time, meshing with the colours of the surrounding geology so the house becomes more subdued in the landscape over time. The cottage typically acts as a dwelling completely open to the elements that connects the exterior and interior in a meaningful way, while at other times serves as a protector from the harsh tropical climate which the region is known for.

Thanks to the client’s long term association with the site, the family knew exactly what they needed to function well in such a remote location. Given the builder’s expertise in these settings, a great deal of time and effort was spent in researching the best off-grid servicing requirements to create as comfortable an occupation as possible. The house itself faces southwest which created some headaches for us to design around, yet in the end we were able to deal with this in a simple way which adds value to the experience and functional performance of the house.

Building remotely meant little ability to communicate with the builder on site, so it was imperative to be on the same page throughout to achieve a high-quality outcome. Having a builder who was meticulous in detail with a wealth of experience in the region meant we could find solutions to complex issues. Working with Twofold Studio, the interiors were designed to reflect the surrounding ocean and earthy island landscape. With cyclone shutters forming a large portion of the south-western façade, we seized the opportunity to create a sophisticated perforated plywood art-wall with a pattern designed by artist Skye Peterson.

Interestingly, the procurement of this project was set up initially as Design and Construct tender scenario where Laurie Lindner (the builder) tendered against Hutchinson Builders for the project. As we were on Laurie’s team we spent time during the tender process designing a construction system which would enable the house to be built insitu whereas the other team focused on prefabricating a house off site and helicoptering it into position. Our tendered price came in at half their price, demonstrating significant value for money to the client and illustrating the importance of lateral thinking when procuring buildings in remote locations.

Seeing the cottage come to fruition has been a life-long ambition for our client. He first lodged a Development Application for this project 26 years ago. His ambition was built on his own father’s legacy on the island which itself extends back to the 1950s. Thus, the contribution to his life is seeing his dream become reality and it being better than he could have imagined. It’s also important to note that this is not a house for sole private use and will be open to the public to experience the best the reef has to offer.