Project: Hill Plain House
Architects: Wolveridge Architects
Location: Victoria, Australia
Photographs by: Courtesy of Wolveridge Architects
Hill Plain House by Wolveridge Architects
Wolveridge Architects have designed a fabulously simple and contemporary home in Victoria, Australia that has been called the Hill Plain House which is actually a very fitting name. The architects had to incorporate materials and techniques that would fit the contemporary style without losing the architectural charm of the home which is inspired by the Victorian-era farmhouses that neighbor it. It was built with a simple material palette which includes steel, concrete, recycled timber and concrete masonry.
From the architects: “The rectilinear planform of the building is based on agricultural construction and considers the integration of object and landscape. This idea is drawn initially from Victorian-era farm structures of the region where buildings were developed largely on pragmatic terms. The land form undulates at 700m AHD. A ridge line traverses the building site almost diagonally, creating an elevated natural amphitheatre to its north. The requirement to orientate the dwelling north for solar purposes and south for the views also precipitates this idea of the object. The building was located just below the hilltop in a reconfigured contour which provided a nestled siting in an otherwise exposed environment.”
“The building structure is typical of portal frame construction, incorporating 5no. 4m modules. The rectilinear plan at the main level is punctured by a service core, forming an axial nature within the plan. This core incorporates a wet entry at the south side. Inside, it contains building services including: bathroom, kitchen, wc, laundry, hws, and wood-fired boiler. The main living room, centrally located on the plan incorporates large sliders to the north and south, providing a protected outdoor alternative in most wind conditions. Large oversized blackbutt cladding of the building’s gable ends incorporate framed views of the exterior and organizes the building program with central living/services core and sleeping zones cradled in timber at each end.”
