Cabbage Tree House, DESIGNED BY Peter Stutchbury Architecture
FROM THE ARCHITECTS
The site is a north-facing small escarpment defined by a large floating rock shelf and a waterway that originates from a distant catchment, flowing steadily toward the coastal bay through remnant swamplands. Cabbage Tree House is conceived as a member of this hillside — a physical participant in the character of the place. It anchors with purpose and sits logically against the slope. The building is elemental, almost cave-like, with a strong horizontality that aligns its architectural layers to the contours of the land. One can safely traverse the land, physically and emotionally, through the house. Its bold leaning façade plays poetically with both the sky and the immediate terrain. This is a building that unashamedly becomes one with its locale. Historically, residential buildings are seldom questioned for their sensitivities: must we repeat the past, occupy a box, fill it with stuff, and seek solace in a screen? Can architecture revisit values of sociability, shared care, awareness, consciousness? Can a house promote such values, or do they rely entirely on its occupants? The project is the sum of its understanding across disciplines. The initial framing of land was established by Peter Stutchbury Architecture and continues to be regenerated by Luke Dewing of Joshua Tree Landscapes. The structural integrity of the complex masonry insert was delivered by Richard Matheson of van der Meer Consulting, who tied the building’s core to rock strata up to 9000mm below the surface. An elemental and restrained building has enabled a cost-effective outcome on a demanding site. Sustainability, often misrepresented, is here understood in its purest form: decisions rooted in respect for the environmental factors the building will face. Siting is paramount, dependent on latitude and climate. Cabbage Tree House was placed — and its materials selected — based on site character and solar management. Thermal mass is used to store and transfer heat, resulting in internal temperatures that vary minimally from winter to summer. The building faces due north and is splayed to capture winter sun. Its angled east façade channels cool breezes entering the valley from Pittwater through the interior in summer. Cabbage Tree House is a considered investigation into raw living — a return to past habits — offering shelter more reminiscent of a cave than a shed. As world values shift and awareness diminishes, the project questions the role a house plays in contemporary living. It is elaborate only in its restraint.
