The House That Isn't There
A rural Australian home blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, camping and permanence, privacy and transparency
Susan Redman
23 March 2016
Houzz Australia Editorial Staff; writer, author, dreamer.
On most weekends, Louise Wright, Mauro Baracco and their three-year old son, Frank, can be found at their bushland escape in Western Port, Australia, a quiet seaside area on a bay an hour and a half’s drive south of Melbourne. On a typical day there, the little family gets up early, has breakfast and does a bit of gardening. All of this sounds perfectly normal until you lay eyes on the shimmering, translucent edifice that stands in place of a regular holiday house and aims to tread as lightly as possible on the landscape around it.
Garden House at a Glance
Who lives here: Louise Wright, Mauro Baracco and their son, Frank
Location: Western Port, Victoria, Australia
Size: The footprint of the house is 64 square metres; the floor area is 33 square metres. It is bordered by an interior garden perimeter of 1 to 1.5 metres wide. There is one bedroom in a mezzanine level of 9 square metres; and a bathroom of 4 square metres
Architects: Louise Wright and Mauro Baracco of Baracco + Wright Architects
Year built: The land was purchased in 2009, and the building was constructed in 2013
Budget and costs: Around $60,000 (does not include land)
Who lives here: Louise Wright, Mauro Baracco and their son, Frank
Location: Western Port, Victoria, Australia
Size: The footprint of the house is 64 square metres; the floor area is 33 square metres. It is bordered by an interior garden perimeter of 1 to 1.5 metres wide. There is one bedroom in a mezzanine level of 9 square metres; and a bathroom of 4 square metres
Architects: Louise Wright and Mauro Baracco of Baracco + Wright Architects
Year built: The land was purchased in 2009, and the building was constructed in 2013
Budget and costs: Around $60,000 (does not include land)
Hiding behind the gum trees that surround it is a barely-there, see-through structure. Its scale is imposing, yet the house is simply a steel frame clad in clear polycarbonate sheeting (a building material that is both light and strong). At daybreak, rays of sunshine flood the home with light and warmth, soon waking up the inhabitants.
Designed and owned by architectural couple Louise Wright and Mauro Baracco, Garden House, as it is called, is an example of the minimalist’s design dictum ‘less is more’. It is, after all, merely a raised platform covered by a transparent ‘shed’. “We wanted something more like a semi-permanent tent than a house,” says Wright of their eco-sensitive plan to live lightly in their bush environment.
Yet, even though the structure is just a thin but sturdy membrane over a metal frame, designed to provide rudimentary shelter, as a concept it offers its inhabitants a new way of living – to truly co-habitate with nature, in a house that tries hard not to disturb ecological systems.
Yet, even though the structure is just a thin but sturdy membrane over a metal frame, designed to provide rudimentary shelter, as a concept it offers its inhabitants a new way of living – to truly co-habitate with nature, in a house that tries hard not to disturb ecological systems.
Adding to the sense of a house being both ‘there’ and at times ‘not there’, double-height sheer walls slide open to artfully blend the indoors with the outdoors, allowing the bush to grow, well, wherever. There is as much indigenous vegetation intended to grow inside the house as there is currently surrounding it, so that when the family do some gardening, they often do it indoors.
“These plantings came about as a result of us instigating a revegetation-rehabilitation regime called the Bradley Method,” says Wright. This bush regeneration program was developed by Sydney sisters Joan and Eileen Bradley in the 1960s. It involves methodically clearing small areas in and around healthy native vegetation so that each area can be re-colonised by native plants, replacing weeds.
“These plantings came about as a result of us instigating a revegetation-rehabilitation regime called the Bradley Method,” says Wright. This bush regeneration program was developed by Sydney sisters Joan and Eileen Bradley in the 1960s. It involves methodically clearing small areas in and around healthy native vegetation so that each area can be re-colonised by native plants, replacing weeds.
“Our weeding has revealed a lot of indigenous vegetation,” says Wright. “And over the years, it has re-established. We have noticed, for example, that a stand of tea tree (Melaleuca ericifolia, a paperbark) has started to spread inside behind the daybed sofa, so our plans to plant indigenous species in the indoor garden have been suspended to allow for the natural vegetation to make its own way through.”
As architects, Baracco and Wright are interested in the role vegetation has on larger sites. They design buildings that work into the landscape and take physical conditions into account. Close to their hearts is a project called ‘Regenerated towns in regenerated nature’, for which they rethink urban design from a ecologically empathetic position, with special consideration on how to reinvigorate natural environments close to towns such as wetlands.
As architects, Baracco and Wright are interested in the role vegetation has on larger sites. They design buildings that work into the landscape and take physical conditions into account. Close to their hearts is a project called ‘Regenerated towns in regenerated nature’, for which they rethink urban design from a ecologically empathetic position, with special consideration on how to reinvigorate natural environments close to towns such as wetlands.
It’s because of their interest in how the infrastructures of towns and cities can be more mindful of their environments, ecosystems and local landscapes, that their work began to align, in a complementary way, with Greening Australia’s ‘Habitat 141’ project. Habitat 141 is a long-term environmental rehabilitation initiative, aiming to restore and reconnect the iconic landscapes along the 141st longitude; spanning 18 million hectares.
“Mauro approached us some years ago,” says Jessica Gardner, an ecologist for Greening Australia. “In the Wimmera [a rural region of country Victoria], there are a number of small towns with declining populations. We were both interested in exploring how architecture could assist in rebuilding towns within landscapes that are also a priority for conservation.”
By exploring with this home new ways to tread lightly – for example, building the garden inside – they are part of a greater initiative that acknowledges their local landscape and considers a town’s role within a wildlife corridor. “It’s important to consider this in the context of needing and wanting people within the corridor, and creating the necessary local economies that go with that,” Gardner says. “It’s time to look at future ‘green’ economies as a way of ensuring people have sustainable and complementary livelihoods in these regions.”
“Mauro approached us some years ago,” says Jessica Gardner, an ecologist for Greening Australia. “In the Wimmera [a rural region of country Victoria], there are a number of small towns with declining populations. We were both interested in exploring how architecture could assist in rebuilding towns within landscapes that are also a priority for conservation.”
By exploring with this home new ways to tread lightly – for example, building the garden inside – they are part of a greater initiative that acknowledges their local landscape and considers a town’s role within a wildlife corridor. “It’s important to consider this in the context of needing and wanting people within the corridor, and creating the necessary local economies that go with that,” Gardner says. “It’s time to look at future ‘green’ economies as a way of ensuring people have sustainable and complementary livelihoods in these regions.”
Located 100 kilometres away from Baracco and Wright’s home in Melbourne, the 1,300-square-metre property on which Garden House is sited, is adjacent to cow pastures. To create a ‘nature’ corridor for wildlife through neighbouring farmland, the couple not only left native flora intact but promoted its regeneration.
“The land always had some good vegetation and beautiful trees on it,” says Wright. And, thanks to the family’s ‘gardening’, it now has many more. There are peppermint eucalypts, messmate and swamp gums, an under-storey of tea tree and ground covers of kangaroo and wallaby grass, as well as heath, wattles, and native lilies and orchids.
“The land always had some good vegetation and beautiful trees on it,” says Wright. And, thanks to the family’s ‘gardening’, it now has many more. There are peppermint eucalypts, messmate and swamp gums, an under-storey of tea tree and ground covers of kangaroo and wallaby grass, as well as heath, wattles, and native lilies and orchids.
The property is basically a strip of bush that terminates at the coastline of Western Port Bay. “We bought the land because we wanted to explore the options of sailing on the bay, and, as a surfer, I was keen to find somewhere close to a good wave,” says Wright. “We are only 15 minutes’ drive from the surf beaches of Phillip Island.”
Baracco and Wright camped on site for a few years before building. “This is how we became so intimate with the vegetation and where to put the house,” Wright explains. “We also learnt that the site flooded occasionally.”
By building a raised floor or deck, the couple hoped that floodwaters could move under the building. “This has happened once,” says Wright, “and it wasn’t a problem. The water subsided and the ground dried out naturally.”
There are other more frequent visitations by local wildlife, Wright says. A blue-tongue lizard regularly comes and goes, and occasionally kangaroos will hop past. In the late afternoon, the trees fill with birds, especially water birds and kookaburras. Fortunately, Wright has never seen a snake but is sure they are around. “We keep any grass low and take the usual precautions,” she says, such as wearing shoes in snake season. “There’s quite a few spiders, they don’t bother us too much, sometimes we move them on.”
There are other more frequent visitations by local wildlife, Wright says. A blue-tongue lizard regularly comes and goes, and occasionally kangaroos will hop past. In the late afternoon, the trees fill with birds, especially water birds and kookaburras. Fortunately, Wright has never seen a snake but is sure they are around. “We keep any grass low and take the usual precautions,” she says, such as wearing shoes in snake season. “There’s quite a few spiders, they don’t bother us too much, sometimes we move them on.”
Living just 200 metres away from Garden House and sharing the same outlook on to farming paddocks is neighbourhood friend Amanda Ritson. Even in the initial stages of construction, Ritson could see that Wright and Baracco were showing a sensitivity for the environment. “They clearly intended utilising the setting in an atypical way to make the most of the bush,” she says.
Now that the block has been revegetated and native trees are growing not only around the house but inside it, Ritson is both “delighted and relieved” to see that the building has certainly lived up to the envisaged potential.
“The rapid growth of the vegetation and the way it has transformed how the building works, continues to surprise,” she says. “When viewed alongside the more typical or traditional structures of its nearby neighbours, Garden House appears more fitting to the area and thereby inherently appropriate. In that regard its uniqueness now lies in its harmonising with the environment rather than with its modern build.”
Now that the block has been revegetated and native trees are growing not only around the house but inside it, Ritson is both “delighted and relieved” to see that the building has certainly lived up to the envisaged potential.
“The rapid growth of the vegetation and the way it has transformed how the building works, continues to surprise,” she says. “When viewed alongside the more typical or traditional structures of its nearby neighbours, Garden House appears more fitting to the area and thereby inherently appropriate. In that regard its uniqueness now lies in its harmonising with the environment rather than with its modern build.”
Simple concrete pavers create a garden path that leads up to the raised floor.
As Garden House is ostensibly a kit shed with a few modifications made to the openings, erecting the building was remarkably quick – it took just two weeks. Construction was also relatively inexpensive, had minimal impact on the site and produced very little waste. “It was a very efficient build,” says Wright. “We produced only about a cubic metre of waste, most of which was recyclable.”
As Garden House is ostensibly a kit shed with a few modifications made to the openings, erecting the building was remarkably quick – it took just two weeks. Construction was also relatively inexpensive, had minimal impact on the site and produced very little waste. “It was a very efficient build,” says Wright. “We produced only about a cubic metre of waste, most of which was recyclable.”
The raised floor or decking of the house is made from cypress pine, sealed with a whitewash varnish. It is surrounded by a perimeter garden that occupies the metre-wide space between the deck and the walls.
“The garden also has a ‘floor’,” says Wright. “It’s eucalyptus mulch, which is a soft covering good for the plants and bare feet.” To get to the toilet, one follows the garden path along pavers set indoors.
The plumbing and services for the toilet and bathroom are simple but adequate. “We did install a ‘gully trap’ that is designed especially for flood prone-areas though,” says Wright. This stops water entering the sewer system and is common in this sort of project.
Behind the toilet, and tucked away to the side of the raised floor is the bathroom. It is lined in plywood and includes a rudimentary shower enclosure. “This allows you to have a relatively freestanding shower box without having to incorporate the tiling of a more conventional bathroom,” says Wright.
Wright and Baracco wanted to maintain the good parts of camping “where you are in touch with where you are”, so they deliberately created an atmosphere indoors almost as spartan as a summer camp.
There are just three zones inside: a separate bathroom at ground level, a bedroom loft accessed by a ladder, and the living area, which is bordered by a small kitchen. “The most ‘separate’ room would be where we sleep,” says Wright. “Up on a mezzanine, there is a double bed and a little child’s bed. You can also sleep on the daybed sofa.”
Wright says she sometimes wakes up during the night, and loves tracing the path of the moon and stars as she looks up through the roof. When it rains, it’s very loud, but Wright loves both the experience of being immersed in her natural surroundings yet comforted by the security of being sheltered.
The largest ‘zone’ in Garden House is the living area. It incorporates the dining space, kitchen and a place for sitting and relaxing. This ‘space’ is the only section of the house that is defined with a ceiling.
In this under-loft area, the couple have fashioned a snug of sorts with an eclectic mix of comfortable furniture. “The couch is a 1960s Danish frame, and we had cushions made for it from Zepel fabric. The cane chair is from a great shop in Northcote, in Melbourne, called Retro Vintage. We also have an original Butterfly chair and some Ikea Frosta stools. It’s all very low key.”
In this under-loft area, the couple have fashioned a snug of sorts with an eclectic mix of comfortable furniture. “The couch is a 1960s Danish frame, and we had cushions made for it from Zepel fabric. The cane chair is from a great shop in Northcote, in Melbourne, called Retro Vintage. We also have an original Butterfly chair and some Ikea Frosta stools. It’s all very low key.”
Wright bought a couple of tables from Ikea to join together when needs be. The family use them for dining, work and play.
The kitchen is modest but still manages to look as stylish as its inhabitants. It is positioned on the southern side of the house. Again, simplicity is essential to perfecting the layout design.
Kitchen basics include a stainless steel benchtop and sink, and an electric, portable two-burner stovetop. Under the bench is a bar fridge, a washing machine and plenty of storage space for dinner ware and cooking utensils. This is hidden by a white curtain that runs along the length of the bench.
The house does get cold in winter and hot in summer. As trees grow around the house, casting shade, the summers are becoming increasingly more pleasant. Trees are also growing inside the house. “As the tea trees mature inside, our hope is that in the years to come they will create an internal canopy that will create even more natural shade,” Wright says. For now, she and Baracco cover the roof in summer with a large shade cloth to reduce the heat. They also make use of a small floor fan.
When they were making design modifications to the house, Baracco and Wright included extra windows for cross ventilation. As for dealing with condensation, they have little worry of moisture streaking walls or floors. “It’s not really a problem,” says Wright, “any droplets just drain down into the garden.”
A wood heater, the Nectre 15 LE model, is apparently more than sufficient for heating during winter. “With little heating, we can maintain a good ambient temperature on most winter days,” says Wright.
One of the delights of living in the Garden House is how sunlight creates patterns in the home. “The rays of sunshine are really beautiful, as they filter through the cladding at different times of the day,” says Wright. “One beautiful image that comes to mind is when the shadows of birds appear on the floor as they fly over the house.” At night, large orb lights illuminate the living area.
Ritson also enjoys the glow that emanates from the house at night. “We regularly pass the house and enjoy simply walking by to view the changes in the vegetation and the mellowing of the materials, our favourite time being the evening,” she says. “The effect of watching the night sky from within its protective and translucent, chrysalis-like enclosure is a thoroughly delightful experience and one not easily forgotten.”
Ritson also enjoys the glow that emanates from the house at night. “We regularly pass the house and enjoy simply walking by to view the changes in the vegetation and the mellowing of the materials, our favourite time being the evening,” she says. “The effect of watching the night sky from within its protective and translucent, chrysalis-like enclosure is a thoroughly delightful experience and one not easily forgotten.”
As the sun goes down in the west, Baracco sits and reads, gazing out to the pastures which back onto the property. He’s not bothered by insects because all openings have sliding screens fitted to keep out mosquitos and flies.
“After our morning weeding and gardening, and depending on the weather, the swell or tide, we often go surfing,” says Wright of the family’s usual routine. “When we come home in the afternoon, we spend time in the garden again, reading and playing with Frank, our three-year-old son.” Wright considers the late afternoon especially lovely and her favourite time of day. “It’s when all becomes still, and the low sun shines through the clear cladding, making everything golden.”
As the sun begins to set, the glow emanating from Garden House is ethereal. “The way the home illuminates at night is really quite beautiful,” says Wright.
TELL US
What do you like best about Baracco and Wright’s holiday house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US
What do you like best about Baracco and Wright’s holiday house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Looks amazing but from experience clear plastic skylights are as hot as hell in summer and freezing cold in winter. Let alone a full clear roof with not a skerrick of insulation. This is Australia! Snakes, lizards, insects, crawling and flying! White curtains in a kitchen, a three year old! So obviously no pumpkin, curry, orange juice, tea, coffee, tomatoes or beetroot prepared there! Sorry not for me! I like comfort. This is a just big greenhouse these architects are playing in. Open to the surrounding dust, flies and mosquitos. I dont care how many insect screens you have, they have to open and close. I do not believe this would in any way be comfortable unless it was triple glazed and even then I would have my doubts. Seriously guys this is an April fool post surely!
I agree about the insulation and the invasion of spiders, critters and snakes. But its an interesting concept taken to the nth degree. It interests me as I'm planning a build and looking at a combined greenhouse and outdoor enclosed sitting area (Sthn Tassie). And although I would want a tight well insulated (Passiv Haus) you can get double skinned polycarbonate which would get around the condensation issue and provide some degree of insulation. This is kinda catwalk fashion compared to what we actually buy and wear. Its something taken to the extreme to test the boundaries and move our thinking along. I think its excellent from that POV. But yes - sure , if you only had a small budget and this was to be your primary /only home, then you wouldnt build the whole thing in poly carbonate!
I like very much that it is touching the ground lightly. In Australia you would be spending all of your time under the ply which is the floor of the top floor/mezzanine. Glenn Murcutt did a similar thing with his NT Marika - Alderton House.