The clients have lived on the subject site for some time and have an intimate knowledge of solar orientation, views, breezes and other local conditions. Armed with all of this data we set about designing their dream home.

Given the slope on site we settled on a “tread lightly” approach and employed a hybrid slab/elevated flooring system. With this approach we seek to minimise the need for cut/fill and reduce site disturbance. The elongated floor-plan allows the home to spill along the natural contours and by limiting the pavilion depth we reduced the overall finished floor height.

A rammed-earth thermal wall runs the full length of the home and is expressed both inside and externally. The natural tones in this spine wall are reflective of the natural soil on site. 
The design is orientated so as to best capitalise on stunning southern valley vine views and breezes. The articulated glazed frontage allows western sun where required in winter with selective canopies protecting against harsh summer sun.

The “butterfly” roof-planes are designed to perform two functions. Firstly, to allow us much natural light and view with an increased pitch and also to present a large portion of the roof to North for photovoltaic panels.

The floor-plan is designed to function with strict zoning. Public spaces feature to the western end with private areas zoned to the east. This allows for efficient heating and cooling of the two zones and a logical separation of areas.

Thermally the home employs those materials that perform best in application. This includes aerated concrete walls and floors used in conjunction with upgraded insulation/sarking. The thermal wall serves to soak up Northern sun and release this stored heat along the full length of the home.

All rainwater collected on the three roof-planes is captured, retained and pumped up to header storage tanks. All grey and black water is driven through an enviro-cycle system and is reused across site for irrigation.