Bass Coast Farmhouse brings drama to the Australian countryside
Bass Coast Farmhouse by John Wardle Architects is a rural dwelling in Australia’s Victoria, balancing contemporary design and traditional typologies
Bass Coast Farmhouse by John Wardle Architects is a fitting addition to the Melbourne-based architecture studio’s long tradition of immaculate rural dwellings. Situated in a coastal spot in south-west Victoria, the land of which the Boon Wurrung people have been the Traditional Custodians, the project is a family home in the countryside. 'It is a farmhouse, pure and simple,' the architects write among their key design 'rules' – other guiding principles in the process included the desire for a concrete floor, different types of windows, and a defining undercroft.
Bass Coast Farmhouse: the exterior
From a distance, the two-storey house appears simple, reduced to a minimalist, abstract outline of an archetypal farmhouse building. However, move closer and the drama of this elaborately designed home unfolds. The structure's corrugated iron roof, timber walls and a single chimney wrap a tactile and expressive interior, clad in timber, and revealed upon entering via the undercroft's visible gabled roof structure and approach bridge.
The house has been conceived as a powerful response to its landscape and terrain. It cantilevers over a rise and connects with the ground elsewhere, drawing on the undulating land around it. It also offers access to walking tracks linking it to the nearby ocean beach – Bass Strait.
Bass Coast Farmhouse: the interior
Bass Coast Farmhouse's lower level hosts laundry, cellar and storeroom spaces, and an outdoor kitchen and dining area. Upstairs is the main living space, opening up to striking, long vistas. Combining rooms for both sleeping and withdrawing, and socialising, it features large openings that frame the nature around it.
Drama aside, at its heart, the structure remains a functional agricultural home. The architects write: 'The farmhouse remains faithful to the building language of rural structures with a façade of timber and galvanised steel roofing. External timber shutters close the house to the elements and provide privacy and protection when the home is uninhabited.
‘Timber is used extensively to line walls, floors and ceilings. The limited palette of interior materials features blackened steel and glazed tiles. Glazing is minimal, with only three types of windows in the house – a design rule that ensures natural ventilation to all spaces.'
Adding to its connection to nature – represented through location, materials and visual links – the home also features strong sustainability credentials, as it is created to be entirely off-grid, robust, but also gentle in its spatial relationships.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Molly Goddard on creating a community of contemporary brides
As new Molly Goddard bridal wear is released, the designer talks about creating romantic but real wedding dresses, while three recent brides tell the stories behind their own Goddard gowns
By Jack Moss Published
-
Palazzo Roma embodies the heritage of Roman noblesse
Palazzo Roma, part of the Shedir Collection, boasts eclectic and eccentric interiors by Giampiero Panepinto
By Luke Abrahams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sydney’s Wharf Apartment is a heritage maritime space that evokes a coastal holiday home
Lawless & Meyerson’s Wharf Apartment is a careful, contemporary residential transformation in Sydney’s Finger Wharf that taps into the property's historic character
By Grace Bernard Published
-
Eclat rethinks 21st-century workspace with a hospitality offering in Melbourne
With new Melbourne co-working space Eclat, Australian designers Forme defy the conventional shared office model through sensitive craftsmanship and hidden high-tech
By Carli Philips Published
-
This Melbourne aquatic recreation centre’s crafted timber ceiling hints at its sustainability ambitions
The Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre by Warren and Mahoney opens in Melbourne, blending sleek aesthetics with environmental responsibility
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Treetops House brings softness to contemporary concrete volumes in Sydney
Treetops House by Tobias Partners is an Australian home that juxtaposes crisp concrete volumes with soft curves, playful colours and lush nature
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour midcentury gem Fisher House’s 21st century facelift in Melbourne
The midcentury Fisher House by Australian designer Alistair Knox in Melbourne gets a contemporary facelift by Adriana Hanna
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A zero-waste workspace in Melbourne innovates in sustainable office design
A zero-waste workspace in Melbourne for Today Design by Studio Edwards is composed entirely out of readily available materials
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This suburban Perth house pays subtle homage to the heyday of car culture
Neil Cownie has carved a new Perth house out of a suburban site, referencing both past uses and local architectural forms
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Paloma House's crafted minimalism offers delight and surprises
A low, linear residence, Paloma House by Fearon Hay, takes the high ground in rural New South Wales
By Ellie Stathaki Published