EASTOP ARCHITECTS learns and works on the land of the Wurundjeri People.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians as the first place makers on this land.
We pay our respect to their care and knowledge of this special country and culture.
The remote site of Cuttagee positions itself amongst ancient trees, lush ground coverage and warm light which filters constantly through the towering tree canopy. The steep sloping site is a fragment of a much larger mountain range which collides with the south Pacific Ocean.
The intensity of this natural condition offers a refined architectural response, a clarity that grounds itself in an elemental language of weight, tactility and light. The ground level comprises of a courtyard and pool – a sheltered refuge to take in the surrounding environment. Framed by planar monolithic walls, a datum point for arrival is clear, setting up the sequence to the home.
This language continues above as the monolithic walls below, crouch and brace, the topography. The upper-level floats above this plinth, in conversation with an enclosed courtyard and providing the living and sleeping spaces an opening scene to the natural landscape beyond. In-situ concrete and glass make up the building, allowing the delicacy of internal fabric and exterior foliage to form a balance in which building and landscape are one.