A villa in Margaret River with views directly into an ancient karri forest.

Photography by Glenn Russell & Studio Stooks

Completed 2018 - 

Primary dwelling 150m - 3 x 2

A heavily vegetated site with unique species quite particular to this site. Tea-trees which the local Wardan group collect from the property to make their traditional dwellings cover the entire sandy site indicating a high water table. Amongst the tea-tree is a tapestry of ancient balgas (grass trees) and self sewn eucalypts. A study of the sites soil and vegetation developed the brief of the project. 

The property was once a sand quarry which is of a dark colour. We decided to use the soil from the site as the primary building material, the clients’ feeling this a nice gesture to the site and architecturally the material will sit magnificently amonst the existing vegetation. 

A series of rammed earth volumes are composed to open up to the tapestry of vegetation. Internal courtyards offer a ‘composed garden’. The exteriors of the volumes are left completely untouched allowing the fauna to grow naturally around the dwellings.  Timber duck-boards provide floating paths past the ancient balgas and huge eucalypts up to austere and anonymous forms. These forms externally serve as a canvas to the landscape whilst internally a softer palette of materials and careful placement of openings provides isolated views out creating an engaging relationship between site and person via the architectural insertions. 

Photography by Miranda Geiger

120m2 - 1 x 2

Easily altered to 2 x 2 / Designed for future additions

An incredible site with a great client, a young entrepreneur very passionate about the site with a strong connection to the fragile coastal vegetation and raw coastline. 

The house is conceived as a staunch bunker, a rammed earth mix was designed to create a powerful and non-challant form sitting in the beautifully austere landscape. Terraced paths are inserted carefully among the delicate scrub leading to the main dwelling. 

This raw shell is sited to capitalize on the views while sitting firmly and definitively among the ancient granite forms. The bunker opens up with deep reveals to the north controlling the harsh climatic conditions. A large outdoor area sits in the lee of the afternoon trade winds. 

The austere shell will age gracefully with the surrounding landscape. The surrounding coastal vegetation is encouraged to grow around and onto the house.