Houses Australia – August 2019

26 DAYLESFORD LONGHOUSE

Section 1 : 400 0 5 m

Attheeasternendoftheplan,a modestly

sizedlivingquartersisa spacetohunkerdownat

theendoftheday,whereviewsofthelandscapeare

carefullycontrolledandproportionsareonlyasbig

astheyneedtobe.A small“verandah”formsthe

transitionalspacebetweeninsidethelivingquarters

andtherestofthebuilding.Laddersandstairslead

thewaytospotstositanddrinka glassofwine,

variousformsofguestquartersandstoragespaces.

Therearemanywaysofbeingathomeinthishouse.

AttheDaylesfordLonghouse,a simple,yet

compellingideaisexecutedinitspurestformandthe

designintentispalpableateveryturn.Itisa sanctuary

forretreatandseclusion,butcanbeeasilytransformed

intoa placeforlargegroupstoexploreandenjoy.This

homeistheAustralianHouseoftheYearforthecommit-

mentbythearchitectandclienttothedesignintent,

theirinnovativeapproachtoa relativelycomplexbrief

anditsjoyfulcollectionofarchitecturalexpressions.

FromtheHousesAwardsjury.Forfurthercoverage

see Architecture Australia July/August 2019.

TheDaylesfordLonghousebyPartnersHillismore

thana remarkablehome– it’salsoa hardworkingfarm
building,a verdantgreenhouseanda newbusiness

setup,allwithintheconfinesofa 110-metre-longshed.

Theopportunitytocreatea generousvolumewithina

singularfootprintiscleverlyexploitedandthetimber
andbrickbuildingswithintheshedformaninternal

terrain.Thecontrastbetweenthescaleandcharacter

oftheindustrialbuildingandthecraftanddetailofthe
internalstructuresisunexpectedyetdelightful.Thescale

oftheshedrespondstotheexpansivelandscapesetting,

butonceyou’reinside,it shiftstothehumanscale,
makingit a comfortablespaceinwhichtoliveandwork.

Theshedstructurecreatesa microclimate

thatprotectstheproductivegardenfromtheharsh
climaticconditionsandcanbeopenedupcompletely

asweatherpermits.Standingwithintheshed’sgarden

givesyoutheunusualfeelingofbeingsimultaneously
outsideandinside– youcouldwalkaroundtheinternal

gardensinsocks,butyou’re sitting surrounded by

mature trees and vines.