House in the Gums

Shipley Plateau, Blue Mountains
NSW

Bushfire considered design that connects the interior to the landscape.

Drawn to the Blue Mountains landscape and wanting to live closer to nature, a growing family from Sydney approached IDA in early 2013 to help build a haven amongst the Oreades on a recently purchased 7.5 acre block. Set within a dramatic landscape defined by the elements, we helped create and deliver an energy efficient, bushfire safe and comfortable home where framed views of the changing landscape strengthen a sense of place and belonging for those who live there.

EXTERIOR

The house sits atop a series of gradually changing levels. Its low profile embraces the terrain and allows it to blend more naturally into its bushland context. The interiors bring the external landscape inside by stitching warm timbers and red brick together to weave spaces together into a single, curiosity-filled home. Every room is tailored to its own unique aspect and setting. The communal living spaces and bedrooms are placed in the taller, lighter and airier northern façade whilst bathrooms, pantry and WC’s are placed on the more intimate south facing side of the building. Large format floor-to-ceiling glazing lines the building’s northern façade, allowing the landscape to flood the interior. Carefully designed eaves block the harsh summer sun but also allows the warming winter sun to heat the internal monolithic recycled brick wall and moderate the internal temperature of the house.

As light grey, colorbond sheet cladding wraps the building and reflects the sun’s harsher rays, it also helps the house blend in amongst surrounding tree trunks of Oreades and scribbly gums. Welcoming entry points break the external expression of the colorbond with warm spotted gum timber linings and brick paved terraces.  Reducing the buildings total solar heat gain,  the building’s envelope is detailed to actively reduce risk of ember attack in a bushfire scenario. Achieving a BAL 29 Rating, the house is a safe haven against fire attack; and exemplifies our approach to bushfire-safe design.

Since completion, the home has been efficiently providing a comfortable and safe environment to live and observe the ever-changing Blue Mountains landscape. It has been described as a home that sits at perfect ease in a striking yet demanding landscape.