Bluff Farm House Australia : Architecture Information

Bluff Farm House Location: rural New South Wales, about 4 hours from Sydney Photographs : Brett Boardman In the tradition of isolated rural buildings, the house is conceived as a singular gesture responding to the strength of the site: a grassy terrace overlooking a meandering river facing north up a spectacular valley, next to an old eucalypt. The essential concept of the house reflects the way in which the owner has always used this place: setting up a table on the grass under the shade of the tree. The sleeping areas are contained within encasing precast concrete walls. The lightweight steel framed roof shelters a generous living space opening to the terrace and view. A palette of raw materials; concrete, galvanised steel, sandstone, recycled timber and plywood add texture and warmth to the interior. The character of the building deliberately avoids artifice. The architectural expression of the design concept was realized in the refuge of the enclosing precast concrete wall around the sleeping and service zones, and the prospect provided by the sheltering canopy steel framed roof and glazed walls which contain the living spaces. This dichotomy of building elements is resolved in the singular gesture of the form closing down to the south and opening up to the north. The form of the building reads as an object in the landscape: a distinct, identifiable presence. Bluff Farm House photos / information from Richard Cole Architecture 031208