We're on Bruny Island, which is located off the Southeast Coast of Tasmania.
The cabin located on an island naturally has a sense of escape. You need to take a car ferry
and then you take a short drive. As you move through the forest you arrive at a clearing
and then standing quietly in the centre of the clearing is the cabin.
It has a real magical quality. The location of the cabin dictated that we needed to be off-grid.
There's no water supply, no sewage infrastructure, everything had to be designed fully off-grid.
That sense of being completely self-sufficient, not relying on
the outside world is a big part of the charm and the sense of escape when staying here.
When designing in an off-grid setting, the real challenges are how to incorporate
the various services in a poetic way. Considering rainwater storage, considering how solar panels
might fit with the building. How you pull all of these things together in a way that doesn't
detract from the place that are fully integrated and considered in the design.
The design of the cabin does borrow some ideas from Japanese architecture and sensibilities.
There's a kind of symmetry and balance to the spaces which we use to create a sense of calmness.
Ideas around framing the views in a very deliberate way was also an important part of
the design. That flexibility really comes from the minimalism of traditional Japanese design.
The cabin provides a living environment that supports the owners cultural heritage,
which is Taiwanese. The Asian lifestyle of living sitting on the floor
and having shoes off space and a simplicity and a minimalism.
Being a small space, it's important to consider the use of each surface and each object. In the
vein of minimalism, all of the furniture is built into the space. There's also a seamless connection
between the furniture, joinery and the wall and floor surfaces. This allows ultimate flexibility.
Also the honesty of craft and all of the materials used in the build, you can see how they've been
applied, how they've been fixed. There's no trickery, it's an honest use of materials.
When thinking about materials there was some really clear,
practical things that we needed to think about, such as bush fire protection.
We also like the idea that the building has a very tough robust outer skin which it needs to
in this environment. We chose hardwood decking and cladding where you're in close contact with the
building. For the roof and the higher areas we've chosen a Zincalume cladding. It's reflective,
so it changes throughout the day with the light in a really poetic way. Moving inside the cabin,
we wanted it to feel really cozy and warm and comfortable and protective so we've used quite
a light pine cladding and a light pine lining for the floors and the walls and the joinery.
Internal timber and the external timber reinforces that honesty in design. A single board
demonstrates the craft of its construction and the knots and grains of the timber add character.
The cabin contains all of the necessary appliances and functions for living however in such a small
space, we've chosen to conceal a number of those things. The fridge is concealed, the
washing machine is concealed, the gas hot water is concealed and so there's a seamless continuation
of surface between the wall, the floors, the ceiling and other surfaces which provide function.
It's incredibly important how you deal with natural light. It can give a real sense
of open loftiness and volume in a place that might have quite a small footprint.
It's that special experience of place and light is what forms our experience of spaces.
I think my favourite part of the cabin is just its simplicity.
It came out of its functional needs but in quite a poetic way.
The owner had the cabin built as a place for herself,
however the power of its renewal is something that she felt compelled to
share, and each person that visits here has their own unique and wonderful experience.
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