CARRICKALINGA SHED
Deeply rooted to the site, like a sailor, learning to navigate their farmhouse through the seasons. Their clients desire and commitment to be at one with the landscape is inspirational.
The client purchased a 55-acre dairy farm property with a low yield, situated 5km from the township of Carrickalinga.
The brief was for a 19th century French farmhouse, able to accommodate large visiting families. Through continual dialogue we dug deep into the clients’ past experiences, which rekindled memories of life on a farm in the Blue Mountains. The process began, trying to capture the qualities of a farmhouse with a modern Australian interpretation.
After camping on the site for a year, the clients experience of the extreme weather and seasons solidified their brief, to have views to each peninsular and sea, as well as a protected garden from the elements. The house was to be totally self-sustainable and off grid.
We selected the site at the highest vantage point, for its panoramic views and shallow gradients. The premise was an interpretation of an Australian Federation Farmhouse. With extreme winds from the rolling hills and sea, we re-imagined the farmhouse.
We took precedence from the Roman Courtyard Villa, namely the Postica, a fortified courtyard garden in Ancient Roman cities. Mainly for its fortification from the exterior, its passive ventilation attributes and it’s spatial qualities.
Using this precedence, we manipulated the traditional farmhouse, stretching the perimeter to 24m square, whilst removing the center for the courtyard. With the verandah on the ‘wrong’ side we inverted the roof. This creates a low eave to the garden allowing solar gain and solar access to the garden and rooms.
Inspired by the painting “Interior with a woman at the Virginal”, 1665 by Emanuel de Witte, the apertures were aligned and removed at opposing sides to create an enfilade of circulation and transparency, inviting solar gain to the perimeter, framing the views of the landscape.
Industrial shutters filter the amount of light desired from the perimeter, creating infinite permutations, tuning the house to the views and seasons. All rooms have dual aspect to both distant views and the interior courtyard.
We used traditional galvanized corrugated iron to clad the exterior walls and shutters, folding over the ridge and lining the internal roof, creating a pyramidal funneled with the structural columns as downpipes harvesting rainwater.
The internal courtyard verandah is the primary circulation encouraging interaction with the garden, clad in a reconstituted timber siding, finished in black, the lining recedes creating deep shadows and highlights the central native garden.
The interior finished in white plaster and features loosely placed fireplaces and ovens. The commercial kitchen free from the walls freeing the interior as a simple volume. The interior creates a neutral space for the occupant to inhabit with their unique character.
The dwelling is true to ‘place’, minimizing impact to its landscape. The true ‘hero’ for the client, is its passive sustainability and psychological qualities the architecture brings to their habitation.
In the clients’ words, “Finally I’m home, sick when travelling, missing the stunning visual geometry, light-filled transparent spaces, internal silence, serenity, star filled bedrooms… we breathe deeply and live longer”.
