ocated in Prickly Rocks, Blairgowrie, in Victoria, the brief for this vacation home was specific: nothing jarring, raw materials and a deep connection to the landscape. Backing on to the Mornington Peninsula National Park, the property is at the mercy of extreme weather conditions and sits within a bushfire zone, motivating the use of heavily insulated concrete and Uschi Schwartz: You open up the back gate and you’re in the national park. The land was originally an old bush block that had never been built on and was used as access through to the back beach. We knew exactly how we wanted the house to look and feel. In particular, we were inspired by Tadao Ando’s Casa Wabi Foundation building near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, in Mexico with its concrete materiality and relationship to the coastal environment. It’s how we imagined this house. We designed the house to face east-west which buffered winds from the south, ensuring that the northern garden was always protected. Because the house is in a bushfire zone and subject to extreme wind and rain, we had to use the right materials. Concrete enabled the house to be very well insulated and energy-efficient so it’s cool in summer and warm in winter. All the slabs are heated and we have a double-sided fireplace in the main room. In the warmer months we hardly ever turn on the air conditioning as there’s such an amazing breeze from the ocean. We didn’t want it to feel like a city house down by the beach. It’s a very rugged environment so we wanted natural, raw materials. It’s not precious and it doesn’t matter if you drag sand through the concrete floors. There are no downlights, plaster, chrome or aluminium – that was a strict requirement. We chose things such as cosy, soft-grey B&B Italia sofas that are comfortable for lounging around. We wanted very little colour and nothing that would stand out, no furniture that would take away from the natural beauty and coastal surroundings. Lots of people out here build homes with sweeping views and while we could have done the same, we went in the opposite direction; we wanted to keep the house low to the ground and nestle it into the bush, enveloped by the canopy of tea trees and moonahs. It’s very well protected and the courtyard is sheltered – we’re able to sit outside all year round. Similarly, we wanted our garden to feel like an extension of the nature reserve so we planted the same shrubs and vegetation that could survive on their own. The proximity to the beach meant that privacy was a consideration. By orienting the house to face east-west and nestling it right into the vegetation we were able to achieve a good level of privacy – and avoid seeing the neighbours!
