Kyneton House
This silhouetted house operates as a sculptural pavilion within an expansive rural setting.
Located on a vineyard, this house has a simple plan divided into three rectangular zones and a complex roof.
The roof creates a silhouette, a striking geometry floating above the bucolic landscape. The approach is from a long driveway that winds around the back to a rear courtyard. This contemplative space creates a pause before a view of tree-covered hills to the north is revealed on entry. Only a narrow vertical slot in the blank wall gives a teasing glimpse, like a geologically layered sample of the view.
Once inside, floor to ceiling glass connects the main living space with the landscape. The floating roof defines this space. It’s cut and folded up to form skylights, or cut and folded down to create shade to the north.
The incised plane hovers above the roof level of the rest of the house, the gap between ceiling and walls made up with glass. Only one piece of joinery strays from rectilinear simplicity - a unit surrounding a wood-fired heater. This centrepiece to the living area acts as an explanatory maquette for this house.