丨澳大利亚新南威尔士

A look at Edition Office's Federal House in New South Wales, Australia

Australian architecture studio Edition Office designed a

home

that displays a striking contrast to its natural surroundings, while also maintaining a deep immersion in them.

Located in Federal, New South Wales,

Australia

, Federal House stands out through its black pigmented concrete and black

timber

battens amidst the green, hinterland location. The home is positioned on the slope of its hillside site.

It draws on Australia’s colonial homestead and verandah typology, which is reflected in the project’s living and bedroom spaces that extend into a covered outdoor space. This expansion allows for a variety of different interactions with the surrounding landscape.

Federal House’s design was driven by the client’s desire to have a “home-as-sanctuary”, that functions as a space of respite. The home’s shared living spaces are located in both the north and south sides of a central garden, allowing for layered social opportunities, while maintaining connectedness.

The eastern wing of the house features bedroom and bath spaces. The light materiality of the interior spaces contrast the dark wood and concrete that distinguish the home from outside.

The interior rooms are all modest in size in order to support the use of open-air halls as expanded outdoor living spaces. Materials were also selected for their tactile qualities, minimal maintenance, and longevity.

The house’s lower level features a subterranean

pool

, which opens to the outside on one side. This opening invites air into the structure that is cooled as it flows across the cool pool surface. The cool air is then dispersed throughout upper spaces, helping to naturally ventilate the home.

In the winter, the home relies on being highly insulated through its thick stud walls and thermally broken windows and doors with high performance glass. As a result, the building requires no heating beyond a small open fireplace.

Federal House relies on its own water supply as rainwater is harvested in a roughly 15,850-gallon tank. In addition, all wastewater is treated on site, and infrastructure was installed to utilize a PV solar array.