Elemental House

On Darkinjung Land. A beautiful winding road lined in tall eucalyptus trees and farmland takes you through the Dooralong Valley. It is a hidden place in the hinterland of the Central Coast, not far o! the highway from Sydney to Newcastle, yet a world away. Undulating green pastures, with a backdrop of the Olney State Forest, the elemental house is sited on 8.4 hectares to be secluded from the road , hidden by remnant bushland and elevated to take in the views of the surrounding farmland, overlooking a pool and dam below. Within a bushfire zone, careful consideration was given to reduce the Bushfire rating to 12.5 while still nestling the house at the edge of the bush and building with durable resistant materials. The house design is simple in plan, reflecting the homeowners initial sketch layout, yet complex in form to create changing scales and internal spaces to provide a contrast of intimate with dramatic. A building in the round as every aspect changes in response to both the orientation and the landscape. The design concept of Elemental house represents the landscape abstraction of owner Belynda’s paintings and Michael’s love of contemporary design and building using robust and natural materials. It has been designed to be elemental in form and materiality yet complex spatially with a strong focus on horizontality to invoke an unmistakable sense of expansiveness, of tranquility and space.