Wombat House bucks its namesake with a linear design

Utilising a simple linear plan to respond to the site, architect Richard Cole designed the house to face due north, using a palette of robust, economical materials.

"The building was to be carefully sited on the 40 hectare property, which didn't have any house on it previously," he said. "The site had electricity but no other services, so had to be self-sufficient in water and sewerage treatment.

"The owners were keen for an extremely sustainable design, so a passive solar response was essential. The location has a large seasonal temperature range, with hot dry summers and frosts and occasional snow in winter. By its nature the building had to be utilitarian, with a simple, direct response to the horizontality of the landscape and beautiful site."

Cole said one of the hardest decisions was deciding where to build the house. "We camped on the property and looked at several sites which were considered and discussed at length," he said. "Once the decision was made, the design of the house arose directly from that specific location."

Environmentally sustainable design was also important to Cole, so a passive solar response was essential.

Face brickwork was used outside for its durability, texture and low maintenance requirements, while internal brickwork provided thermal mass qualities, loadbearing capacity and durability.

A water harvesting and reticulation system, along with on site sewerage treatment and a 3.0kw grid connected solar Photovoltaic array were installed.