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The Wheatsheaf residence strikes a bold pose, its man-made modernity contrasting sharply with the bush cyclorama behind it. It’s brave and present rather than sneakily trying to fit in and disguise itself as part of the forest of messmate (Eucalyptus obliqua), in Australia’s south-east, one hour’s drive from Melbourne.

The genius of this visual trick is inescapable. The placement of this colourful structure against the uniformity of the trees has resulted in a project that already seems to have achieved a mythical status in architecture circles.

The exterior, with its use of iron, is reminiscent of corrugated iron lean-to sheds and transportable homes. It derives its lines from the subculture of the family caravanning holiday – the nomadic spirit with few creature comforts. Even the interior, constructed of plywood and hoop pine (used as standard interior materials in caravan construction until the mid-1980s), plays into this imagery.

“I’m not sure where I came up with this crazy idea,” confesses Jesse Judd, architect and part-owner of this family getaway, which he shares with his parents. “I like the idea of camping in the bush, but I don’t like the idea of a fluoro-coloured tent or a silver caravan.” That said, he admits that during the design process he was thinking of both. Despite this outward visual conflict, the dwelling is actually very much in tune with its surroundings.

Conceived as a lightweight, kit-style accommodation, the structure was easily transported to the assembly location and built. This eliminated the need for numerous trucks of lumber, materials and concrete to come rumbling through what is an environmentally sensitive area.

“I see building in the bush as temporary, both in structure and purpose,” states Judd.

“There is no reason why you couldn’t pick this up and move it elsewhere. It’s also totally recyclable.”

Except for being linked to the local electricity grid, the dwelling is self-sufficient and ecologically sound. Rainwater is collected in two enormous above-ground reservoirs, and then not only feeds through pipes to the house, but also sits in the gutters and downpipes providing added protection against the destructive threat of bushfires.

Sewage is treated on-site in underground holding tanks and is released as greywater by leaching into the surrounding land.

This theme of sustainability continues throughout the construction, with the prefabricated steel ‘bones dressed in environmentally friendly hoop pine on the interior, and in hard-wearing, 
fire-resistant steel on the exterior.

The large living area is womb-like and seems to fold in on itself, while the sleeping quarters and bathrooms are carriage-like. “I hoped that there would be an emotional response to being enveloped in the warmth of the red wood. It appeals to our collective experience of caravanning or perhaps being on a train journey,” the architect explains.

“People have trouble telling which is the deck and which is the hallway when the house is opened up. The timber decking is recycled turpentine from the old Woolloomooloo wharves, hauled out, stripped down, sawn and put back into the forest,” he says, grinning at the irony that these trees, having been harvested over a hundred years ago and spending the majority of that time in Sydney Harbour, have now finally found their way home.

There is an irresistible attraction to this outback playground – the proximity to nature and the sense of humankind’s place within it; reflections that float to the surface of one’s thoughts after just a few hours there.

“The first time I came here after its completion I sat down with the sun pouring into that red room. It appeared to be on fire and I thought, 
‘This works.’ That was a glorious moment.”

THE ARCHITECT

Jesse Judd represents a new wave of architects – looking to the future and nature for his inspiration. The Wheatsheaf home, he admits, is a personal project of which he is extremely proud. “It’s a holiday house, not a house where all your worldly possessions are on display.

It’s about … simplifying your life and stripping it back. It’s a place to live well but live simply,” he explains. 


Judd Lysenko Marshall Architects, 0411 214 832 or jlma.com.au