Cabbage Tree House

Cabbage Tree House

Peter Stutchbury Architecture

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Sprout Landscape Architecture

DESIGN ARCHITECT
Peter Stutchbury

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Van Der Meer Structural Engineers

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Emma Trask

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Richard Matheson

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Martin Pell

MANUFACTURERS
Brodware, Eco Outdoor

AREA
197 M²

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Bayview, Australia

CATEGORY
Houses

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

The site is a north-facing small escarpment that is characterized by a large floating rock shelf, and a waterway that stems from a distant catchment and flows steadily to the coastal bay through remnant swamplands.

Cabbage Tree House is a member of the hillside – a physical participant of the character of this place. It anchors with purpose and sits with logic against the hill.

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson
Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

The building is elemental, almost cave-like, and has a horizontality that places the layers of the building as primary contours of the hillside; one safely traverses the land physically and emotionally with the house.

The bold leaning façade plays poetically with both the sky and the immediate land. This is a building that unashamedly becomes one with its locale.

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson
Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

Historically, residential buildings are rarely questioned for their sensitivities; should we repeat the past and occupy a box, fill it with stuff, and find solace in the computer screen? Here revisit values of sociability, shared care, awareness, consciousness? Can a house promote such values or is it purely the occupants?

The project is a sum of its understanding across disciplines. The initial framing of land was delivered by Peter Stutchbury Architecture and continues to be regenerated by Luke Dewing of Joshua Tree Landscapes. 

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson
Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

The structural integrity of a complex masonry insert was delivered by Richard Matheson of van der Meer Consulting, who tied the core of the building to rock strata up to 9000 mm below the surface. An elemental and restrained building has enabled a cost-effective outcome on a demanding site.

Sustainability is easily misrepresented. In its purest form, the sustainability of a building stems from decisions that demonstrate a true understanding and respect for the environmental factors it will face. 

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson
Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson

Siting is a significant concern - dependent upon latitude and location. Cabbage Tree House was located, and materials were selected, based on site character and solar management.

Thermal mass is used to both hold and transfer heat and as a consequence, the internal temperatures of the building vary only minimally, from winter to summer. The building is located due north and splayed to capture the winter sun.

The angled east façade was positioned to channel cool breezes entering the valley from Pittwater through the building in summer.

Cabbage Tree House
© Michael Nicholson
Cabbage Tree House
Site Plan

Cabbage Tree House is a considered investigation into raw living, a track to past habits, and a shelter that is more reminiscent of a cave than a shed.

As world values shift and the strength of awareness diminishes, Cabbage Tree House challenges what part the house plays within the current scenario of housing. The building is elaborate only in its restraint.



Cabbage Tree House
West Elevation
Cabbage Tree House
North Elevation
Cabbage Tree House
South Elevation
Cabbage Tree House
East Elevation


Cabbage Tree House
Section 01
Cabbage Tree House
Section 02
Cabbage Tree House
Plan - Ground Floor
Cabbage Tree House
Plan - 1st Floor