澳大利亚 Breakneck Gorge 度假屋 - 融入自然的折叠钢铁雕塑

Architect：Robert Nichol & Sons

Location：Elevated Plains VIC, Australia; | ;

Project Year：2018

Category：Private Houses

We were engaged by our clients to design a short-term residential building to complement their existing suite of buildings on site, which consists of homestead, another short-term rental, and agricultural outbuildings. These clients had engaged architects with the previous builds, so in their mind this would not be a standard domestic outcome.

The site is one of the most beautiful, spectacular, and highly visible in the area and as such, we knew our design had to respect and connect with this stunning location. This region has a plethora of available short-term stays but given the unique potential this site offered, connection to the landscape was critical.

There was also a need for privacy toward the homestead - that guests and owners would each not be aware of the other's presence so as to enjoy dual occupancy with limited physical interaction and we also looked at the strongest viewpoints, so that the best vistas were achieved while sheltering views back to the homestead.

The decision was made very early on to remove any dedicated circulation space, instead adopting a simple sequence of arrival into the open plan living, transitioning through the dressing and bathing zone and finally into the bedroom. This enabled a tight layout of 70sq/m to present as a series of interesting volumes, each with a strong identity, discovered as one moves through the space. Because of the site's exposure to the weathering elements our clients wanted a building that didn't require ongoing external maintenance, so we then started to explore the various cladding options available. The final outcome for this was very site driven and by our desire to ensure the design would work with the land, not against it. We decided the material for all facets would be the same, as opposed to separate wall and roof finishes, so that the dwelling took on an object quality, like a folded piece of sculpture. Corten was finally selected for its aesthetic appeal and ability to blend and for its quality to evolve and change with time and season.

The builder, metal fabricator and the installer were engaged during the designing phase, which was critical to achieving a refined finish to technical issues. We broke the roof into two forms, creating multiple ridges and a valley not unlike the distant hills - this introduced more angles for the cladding to express itself.

The resultant form evolved to lift itself as the ground fell away - to counteract this float we developed a long solid masonry wall, of handmade dark bricks, to create a solid anchoring device that grounds the folded form and acts as a counterpoint to the corten finish. The project successfully met all the clients' expectations and more - they look out to a sculptured mix of corten form and long masonry blade, which reads neatly as a connection to the landscape rather than an inhabited space. Meanwhile, visitors enjoy spectacular framed views from the carefully placed and shaped windows and a level of internal amenity rarely offered on the market.

Set on a striking elevation just outside Hepburn Springs, Oikos, named after the ancient Greek word for home, is an indulgent short-stay retreat. Oikos evokes the red centre of this great southern land - it’s dramatic, sculptural form both complementing and disappearing into the rugged precipice on which it stands. The retreat is subtle in scale yet rich in design, offering the best in built architectural form and natural landscape setting.

Oikos is located on the crest of Breakneck Gorge, a sprawling 20-hectare property that takes in spectacular views of Hepburn Springs and Daylesford. From the outset, orientation was a major consideration in Oikos’ design solution. The sculptural, rock-face like northern façade, unpunctuated by windows, faces the owner’s home. This clever positioning and design creates privacy for both guests and owners, ensuring Oikos looks out instead to the stunning views below. The prevalence of dramatic west-facing windows required targeted shading, including a finely detailed pergola and deeply shrouded windows.

Designed and built with an understated yet heartfelt generosity, Oikos is a unique offering to the local market. Oikos was an ambitious project from the outset, its scope increasing as the design progressed and the site’s potential was realised. That care is evident in every detail both internally and externally with an emphasis on natural finishes used with creative results. From this rigorous design process has emerged a maintenance free yet architecturally enhanced building to be shared with the general public.

Clever design has made the most of a compact floorplan that ensconces without ever feeling claustrophobic. At just 70sq/m Oikos delivers small footprint living with a true sense of luxury. Every element of this project is tailor-made and designed to enrich the user experience – from the furnishing selection and the angled timber ceilings, to the treetop views glimpsed from the floating bed. A meticulous and holistic focus on luxury ensures this ambitious design pulls off the ultimate trick – disguising it’s complexity to look so simple in its completion.

As Breakneck Gorge was an exposed site, durability and stability were initial drivers in Oikos’s design process. The site’s prominence also called for a design that would speak to the land - not distract from it. Corten steel answered these issues of durability and disguise, ensuring longevity while not dominating the sensitive landscape. Installation difficulties for the complex design were dealt with by on site fabrication. Innovative internal finishes – including tiled ceilings, marble slab thresholds and floating steel bed – complement the external design complexity. The user experience is rich in design from the very first glimpse.

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