Eyrie Residence is full of Australian brutalist drama. Perched on a hill, it seems to emerge from its plot, surrounded by cascading valleys and a view of the Victorian Alps. This contemporary abode, designed by Schmölzer Architecture, is nestled on the outskirts of Beechworth, Victoria.
Tour this residential piece of Australian brutalism
Architect and firm founder Jeremy Schmölzer took inspiration from the expansive views and abundance of wildlife surrounding the site. ‘The starting point was to minimise the impact of the house on the hillside, allowing it to sit quietly within the escarpment rather than assert itself upon it,’ explains Schmölzer.
‘This led to a refined material approach, where a restrained palette of pre-cast concrete panels and muted tones dissolves into the landscape. The project naturally evolved into a courtyard typology, creating a protected internal landscaped courtyard that maintains a strong connection outward.’
The home's concrete façade provides the groundwork for the design's brutalist expression, contrasting with the surrounding scenery, which becomes a giant landscape painting of a backdrop, while openings create snapshots of the distant Mount Buffalo plateau. In turn, the natural setting serves to soften the property’s bold concrete forms.
The courtyard-style plan allows for a zoned approach to the design. The primary bedroom is located within a more secluded wing, and the guest rooms are along another wing, both offering valley views. The communal living area is open plan and accessible via both of these sections.
The most intriguing element of the project is the outdoor pool, which seemingly extends away from its hillside plot like an immersive portal into the valley. Schmölzer agrees, telling Wallpaper*, ‘The horizon pool is the most lasting impression of the project, where architecture is reduced to its most precise edge condition – a calibrated threshold between built form and distant landscape.
'It is conceived as an extension of the house, where the geometry resolves into a continuous plane that engages directly with the escarpment and distant Victorian Alps. Rather than framing or receding, the architecture operates as a deliberate instrument for intensifying the perception of the horizon. It is here that the relationship between structure and landscape is most fully articulated.’
The material palette softens the house's cast concrete silhouette. Natural honed stone in the kitchen, matched with grey linen sheers, an external metal curtain, and internal concrete flooring, creates harmony between interior and exterior.
Says Schmölzer, ‘From the entry sequence, there is a deliberate sense of transition and reveal, with framed views towards Mount Buffalo setting the tone for the experience. Inside, the landscape remains dominant, with interiors designed to feel as though they are hovering above the terrain. The eagle-watching and stargazing platform extends this condition outward, creating a heightened sense of suspension within the landscape.’
Eyrie Residence is a soothing retreat connected to nature. A place to unwind, relax and focus on the raw beauty of its expansive context.