On 100-odd hectares of Wathaurong Country just west of Geelong, an inscrutable, utilitarian, off-grid caravan-meetsshedmeets-field-science-hut designed by architects and academics Simone Koch and Peter Brew is garnering plenty of awards recognition and media interest. Partly that's a response to a humble, high-performance dwelling conceived entirely in service of the site's ecological regeneration. Partly it's in recognition of the big ideas behind this little place, including the opportunities and obligations of architects and homeowners living and working on unceded Aboriginal land.
Simone and Peter bought (South African weed orchid), and a sheep run whose income was funding regeneration. “The owners were keen to pass it on to somebody who understood their vision for it,” Peter says.
