Chapter Award & Finalist, 2021 National Design Awards.
Featured in Sanctuary magazine May 2023 – read the full article here.
Warm family home with beautiful views and off-grid services
An environmentally conscious young family approached us with the brief to design an ecologically sustainable four bedroom long-term home. Their priority was to use hempcrete as the main building material and include off grid services.
A warm and welcoming french country aesthetic was also desired for the home as well as embracing beautiful views to Mt Eerwah to the east and peaceful 180° forested views looking north to west. Budget was a major consideration at about $350,000, however staging the construction of the home was a way to achieve the ultimate grand vision as finances allowed.
The home site sits to the southern edge of a cleared slope that gently falls to the north-east at the base of a broad valley. The striking form of Mt Eerwah to the east provides a focal point for the site, while the broad clearing is ringed with forested gullies and creeks. Prevailing breezes are predominantly from the east and south-east; with hot summer breezes from the north-west; and cold winter breezes from the south-west. The driveway approach to the site is from the north and travels 450m from closest electrical connection on the adjoining road.
