Familiar forms, forward features

This farmhouse-look home is set for its retired owners and generations to come – classic rural forms are underpinned by warm, versatile interiors and a focus on sustainability

The pavilion styled home with gabled roof forms

The living pavilion with a wall of glazing

The rear deck running across both pavilions and

The exterior is clad with Charred Larch, reducing

The cosy, generous living spaces. - Familiar forms,

Dining area and feature ceilings. - Familiar forms,

Kitchen, breakfast stools and an appropriate barn house

Plenty of room to move in the heart-of-the-home

Looking across the open-plan living spaces at the

Shared ensuite with cantilevered vanity and generous shower

Master ensuite. - Familiar forms, forward features -

Project description & brief

The brief from this retired couple moving off their farm was to create a new family home to be enjoyed with their extended family and grandchildren.

They requested a modern farmhouse style with a warm and calming interior.

It was to be a timeless architectural design that suited a family along with being energy efficient, having three-bedrooms, and offering generous outdoor living with views to the mountains and rural outlook.

Design features & creative solutions

With the brief in mind, we adopted a ‘H shaped’ layout of simple wings – this allowed for separation between the interior spaces, yet still providing plenty of integration.

The pavilion styled home is a nod to the former farm buildings that would have once stood on the site.

To visually soften the impact the home on the site, different areas were defined with the pavilion structures, which in turn break down the mass of the home into forms that are reminiscent of the scale of buildings traditionally found on the land.

Raked ceilings increase volume and create a feeling of space beyond the square meterage of the floor plan.

Ample glazing on the north, east and west-facing sides of the home open the interior to the views and encourage engagement with the outdoor spaces.

This pavilion contains the open-plan living spaces, including the kitchen, dining and living areas.

Orientated to the mountain views, the living volume opens to a large courtyard on the west side, enclosed between the central pavilion and the bedroom pavilion.

This arrangement has the advantage of bringing shelter from the prevailing winds.

The bedroom pavilion is located at the west side of the home and allows the master bedroom to take advantage of the views to the north.

The remaining bedrooms have vistas towards the west.

The simple palette of materials, pared back aesthetic and overall architectural response create a home that won't date and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

The exterior is clad with Charred Larch, reducing maintenance.

The interior material palette is warm and calming with darker timber tones.

The same shade of timbers was used throughout, with a slightly darker tone to the ceiling panels – these have been broken up with exposed steel UB rafters that reference a modern take on the traditional bolted truss.

These panels were also used on the interior entrance walls.

Sustainability

With the owners being a retired couple with grandkids often staying and so potentially high energy usage, energy efficiency was addressed early within the design phase.

Careful detailing for thermal performance was incorporated, including 140mm thick walls, in-slab heating system, a high level of thermal insulation detailed throughout, and thermally broken aluminium.

These elements were coupled with glazed opening placement, roof overhangs and sun angles all considered in the passive solar design approach of harnessing and managing the sun's energy and limiting overheating.