HP Treehouse 2015

House Notes – HP Treehouse

Set on a secluded and private lot on the flanks of Mt Whitfield, this home is for a professional couple and regular guests who include extended family and friends. Principle aims of this low budget home included simple, elegant and unpretentious form, easy access, minimum impact on site, sustainability and low maintenance. The design strives for relaxed ambience, structural honesty, plentiful natural light and airflow, and generous reference to the site and the forest.

To cater for ‘aging in place’ for the owners and to avoid deep excavation and tanking necessary for a multi-level structure, it was decided to bring vehicles to the single floor level.

Retention of most of the existing forest, combined with subdued colours has resulted in a building which is virtually invisible from the city below. The layout was arranged to maintain significant large trees including a 40m Terminalia and even larger Quandong.

Views over the city are through ‘windows’ in the forest.

Three pavilions separated by breezeways form the single level of the home suspended above the natural slope. The central living pavilion opens to the forest outlook and through a full glass wall, and also connects seamlessly to the outdoor living breezeway. Outdoor dining overlooks the slightly lower lounge ‘treehouse’ which rests under a large canopy roof and is open on all sides. The main bedroom and ensuite pavilion is accessed across this breezeway and features framed views of the adjoining rock face which becomes a wet season cascade.

Guest bedrooms and shared ablution facilities comprise the west pavilion which is separated from the living area by the entry breezeway and laundry/drying area.

Orientation is north/south and hence sun penetration into the building is negligible. Cross breezes are channelled through any part of the home and controlled with extensive opening windows which include casements and louvres for added control.

Generous roof overhangs allow all windows to remain open in all but the most extreme weather conditions.

The building ‘floats’ on its’ galvanised steel support structure which carries through from the ground to the roof ensuring minimum site disturbance, low maintenance and structural integrity. Completion of the roof early in the construction process afforded weather protection for the following trades. Other than the laminated timber beams in the main living space all structural spans are very short and hence structural sizes are small.

Easy care and low maintenance is achieved with a flat roof for easy access to the pv installation, solar hot water, membrane canopy and gutters. Also, Colorbond steel external cladding, aluminium windows and galvanised exposed structure all reduce maintenance demand.

Sustainability is enhanced with long term low maintenance materials, low voc paints, sustainably harvested or plantation grown timber, locally sourced natural stone retaining walls and a pv installation which provides most power requirements.

Extensive daylight enters the house through large areas of glass, translucent roof materials over the entry, laundry and deck and due to the single room depth of the building.

Suspended above the forest floor, living in this home is akin to life on a roofed platform within the rainforest canopy. A relaxed and easy ambience contributes to a harmonious relationship between the house and its occupants.