"The facade on both long sides of the building is animated by louvre screens that can be opened or closed to keep the interiors comfortable," says Murfett. "These reach to varying heights, corresponding to the interior spaces behind."
The raised vertical timber elements on the cladding work hard in the design. They serve to bed the shutter systems, provide protective ends for the cladding, and conceal the steel skeleton that give the multi-level building its strength.
The entry, located to the side of the home, negotiates an incline via a small ramp, while the zinc cladding here matches the greying wood and wider natural setting. Render was used as the cladding finish at the other, less public end. Both ends are inset slightly, bringing shelter, shade, and a sense of privacy. Part of the owners' brief was that the new house wasn't looking' at the main home. Elements like the wood shutters, and these inset end treatments help achieve this.
"The guest house presents as a single-storey landscape feature but actually incorporates five split levels of living spaces," says Murfett. "By careful configuration of these spaces we were able to include a large living and kitchen area, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, ample storage, and a roof deck within the 85m² footprint."
One way the architect gained space was by having circulation elements opening directly into the rooms rather than using up valuable square meterage with hallways and landings.