Architects:Philip Stejskal Architecture

Area:335m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Nicholas Putrasia

Text description provided by the architects. Sited on nearly 2 hectares, this house takes advantage of its secluded and elevated position, capturing views across rolling hills to the Swan Valley, Perth CBD, and coastal plain. Positioned on the brow of a hill and located among mature trees to reduce its visual impact – and constructed with rammed earth and rural vernacular materials – it blends into the landscape.

The V-shaped plan has two discrete wings, which are carefully draped across the contours: one extends along the ridge; the other steps gently down the slope. The design optimises passive solar performance – bringing in northern light and prevailing breezes from the south-west – while framing sightlines towards panoramic views to the west and south.

From the carport, visitors enter alongside a glazed courtyard that delivers abundant northern light into the living wing. Level changes denote various functions – from service spaces to kitchen, to dining and living areas, culminating in a floating deck. A pop-out section to the east contains study and daybed bays, which can be concealed by sliding doors. Connected by a glazed bridge, the bedroom wing features a gallery-style hallway that provides access to the laundry, main bedroom suite, a protected outdoor courtyard, and a guest suite/studio space. High-level windows to the north deliver natural light and winter warmth into these south-facing spaces, which overlook the lush lawn that gives way to mature trees and remnant bushland.

Being completely off-grid and self-sufficient for energy and water, the design benefited from input by various allied disciplines, including engineers and specialist contractors. In addition, our clients were owner-builders, completing much of the construction and all of the landscaping themselves, including retaining and gabion walls – using stone excavated from the building footprint – and new native planting. From a cost perspective, this is a modest home constructed using readily available earthy and tactile materials – rammed earth and tinted concrete slab floors topped with galvanized steel cladding and roofing – so that ongoing maintenance and operational costs will be minimised, as our clients approach their retirement. Small touches of luxury can be found in the blackbutt joinery throughout and polished Marrakech plaster walls in the bedrooms.

The house remains comfortable all year round thanks to passive heating in winter and natural ventilation in summer. The roof extends beyond the building's edge to provide ample summer shade, while retractable blinds to the west exclude harsh afternoon sun. Rainwater runs off the roof via gutterless edges and metal gargoyles, and is collected and stored in tanks located below the property for reuse. Photovoltaic panels on the nearby shed provide sufficient energy for the clients' needs.

Constructed using bushfire-resistant materials in keeping with its BAL19 rating, this project provides a comfortable home for our clients to enjoy a more relaxed country lifestyle, while still being close enough to Perth to continue working and engage with city life. It combines permeability and groundedness, giving the impression that it has always been there and will endure.

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