Burnt Earth Beach House constitutes the latest in a trilogy of residential projects that continues John Wardle’s commitment to pursuing architectural experimentation through the design of his own family home. The first, Kew House (1994–2019) in Melbourne, was an early prototype in adaptive reuse that has been incrementally “tuned” to reflect the life of a growing family; the second, Shearer’s Quarters (2008–2011), and its companion, Captain Kelly’s Cottage (2015–2016), responded to the layered stories of site by exploring heritage and Country on Tasmania’s Bruny Island; and the third, a holiday house in Anglesea (2020-2024), on Victoria’s Surf Coast, embodies Wardle’s enduring engagement with the values of invention and risk, setting and place, and craftsmanship and collaboration.
Invention and risk
Burnt Earth is a portrait of Wardle’s passion for clay. The new house is built almost entirely from terracotta, with two primary moves forming the building: the exterior is composed of profiled unglazed and glazed bricks, while
