Cooroy House

Cooroy House 

Henry Bennett + Dan Wilson

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Westera Partners

BUILDER
Frog House

SITE AREA
48773 M2

PHOTOGRAPHS
Yaseera Moosa

AREA
155 M²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Cooroy, Australia

CATEGORY
Houses, Sustainability

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

Text description provided by architect.

The Cooroy House is a modest, off-grid home, immersed within its landscape.

Taking cues from the surrounding timber & tin cottages of the area, the lightweight, single-storey structure is simple and cost-effective. 

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

Raised above the ground on a single platform, it imposes minimal disruption to the sensitive site.

The house is composed of a series of pavilions and courtyard gardens stitched together by a linear verandah spine.

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

This external space acts as the main circulation route, providing its occupants with a constant connection to the landscape.

The main courtyard is framed by the building on one side and the sloping hillside on the other, offering a protected retreat embedded within the expansive site.

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

The building is positioned along the contours of the hill and oriented to the north-east to capture warming winter sun into the L-shaped plan.

Operable screens and planting provide protection from the harsher summer weather.

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa

The house is completely off-grid, with solar power, tank water, and a septic system. Minimal concrete was used (just for footings), helping to reduce its carbon footprint.

The project involved minimal earthworks, with the house sitting off the ground, allowing the existing terrain to remain relatively untouched.

The clients have also spent years regenerating the site, removing invasive plant species and planting a selection of local endemic plants.

Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa


Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa


Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa
Cooroy House
© Yaseera Moosa


Cooroy House
Site Plan
Cooroy House
Floor Plan


Cooroy House
Section
Cooroy House
Site Section
Cooroy House
Front Elevation
Cooroy House
Axonometry