Bare Architects were approached to design something special. The brief entailed a holiday home that he, along with his friends and family, could freely enjoy for generations. Immersed in nature yet with comfort.

The original owners of this land are the Menang cultural group of the wider Noongar region. Stretching out like a wing, the Nullaki shields the town of Denmark from the Southern Ocean, gallantly bearing the brunt of weather fronts as they are thrown towards the mainland.

The cliffs on the ocean side of the Nullaki do much of the work, the rest of the land is remnant bushland with pockets of open sky over rolling grass hills dotted with farm fences.

The architects’ client is custodian of 42 hectares on the Inlet side of the Nullaki. The block is zoned conservation, like much of the area, requiring a specialised flora and fauna report to ensure no endangered species or habitats would be affected by the development.

The rectilinear form, a tip of the hat to neighbouring farm buildings, is lifted off the ground allowing movements of land, water, and earth to remain undisturbed. We managed to fit two bedrooms with a loft each, a full master suite, an open kitchen, dining, living, a mudroom, bathroom, and a generous outdoor living into a modest 150sqm footprint.

The house pivots around a central double-sided fire. This centralised mass, awards the fire the same value as if the inhabitants were camping. Circulation, dining, food preparation, reading and discussions, all visually intwined by flames, bonded by the duty of feeding them.

The interior is warm, lined with plywood and painted green walls, anchored by Jarrah flooring. Windows are double glazed with bronze anodized frames, touching on 70s holiday home nostalgia.

The house is entirely off grid with a solar powered supply system. Rainwater is harvested from the roof with dominating, custom fabricated gutters, and downpipes, celebrating the journey of water with both size and colour as it passes through with plenty of room to swish and gurgle.

Architecture & Design: Can you describe the initial vision for this project and how it evolved over time?

Bare Architects Principal Matilda Brealey: The initial brief entailed a holiday home that he, along with his friends and family, could freely enjoy for generations. Immersed in nature yet with comfort.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the design and construction phases, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenges were the location - it is hard to find a builder, which luckily we found quickly with Andrew Finnigan. Then a challenge was communication - there was no reception onsite so Andrew was not able to call or FaceTime on site.

Supervision by myself included travelling four hours one way, and overnight stays in a nearby town. The build also happened during covid, so we had to be creative with limited availability of materials. There was a shortage of Russian birch ply (apparently due to political situation in Russia at the time), so we had to use plasterboard in some areas, we decided to paint these walls green, as we wanted to avoid any white plasterboard walls.

How did you ensure that the project met the client’s needs and expectations?

One of the most deliberate moves to ensure the project met the clients needs and expectations, for the available budget, was to reduce and simplify the perimeter of the building as much as possible. A simple rectangle, allows more room for detail and craftsmanship.

Were there any unique or innovative techniques or materials used in this project?

The most innovative material, would have to be the polycarbonate sheeting in the outdoor area, or engawa. The project is bal29, and this is the only bal29 polycarbonate sheeting on the market. It involves a polycarbonate sheet, with a steel mesh inside, so that when the product is burnt and the plastic melts, a wire mesh remains preventing ember attack.

We felt the mesh created a shoji screen effect, sort of like paper being held up to the sun. It is typically a commercial product, not particularly beautiful in its own right, but executing the detailing around it allowed it to rise to the occasion.

How does this project fit into your broader portfolio and design philosophy?

This project fits into BARE Architects portfolio as an exemplar of what we do best; quality over quantity, and connection to landscape. The bedrooms and internal living spaces are small, pushing inhabitants out into generous, well protected outdoor space so that majority of life can happen with connection to the seasons, the weather, fresh air and sun light.

We are passionate about outdoor areas that are incredibly well protected, and executed as a fusion between internal and external. For example, the decking boards, as they are fully protected by sun, wind and rain (with the spotted gum bifold doors), had zero gap between them.

There is no draft underfoot. The plywood lining and also skirting in the outdoor area was the same as the internal. These details make that space feel like an internal space, integral to the building, not an addition. As with majority of our designs, the outdoor area cuts into the footprint, as opposed to being additional. Inspired by Glenn Murcutt, we want the entire house to feel as a verandah, not a house with a verandah attached.

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