Returning home from overseas, our clients looked to embrace the rural lifestyle offered by this special coastal site, while also seeking a contemporary home that would support their busy family life.
Woolshed Home
Captivated by the nostalgic charm of an original woolshed adjacent to the historic farm cottage, the project was initially conceived as a conversion of the existing 1950’s shearing shed into a new house. Despite structural investigation ruling this option out, the design for a new home continued within the same envelope, and with a similar programme in plan, encased in a fresh shell of galvanised iron.
A bridge connects the primary bedroom at the South-East, to the children’s bedrooms and bathroom at the Northern end of the home.
A playful, and practical nod to the split-level functionality of the traditional shearing shed.
Materially we were interested in retaining some of the character of the woolshed interior with its timber strip flooring and slatted balustrades in varying widths.
In the new home, reclaimed river wood is sculpted into balusters providing both separation and connection between ground floor living spaces and the circulation areas above.
Sliding screens provide adjustable shelter for the large outdoor living volume, a reference to the scale and practicality of the original sliding doors to a loading dock in days gone by.
