Murder Dog
Set in the cold, snowy climate of the New South Wales High Country, the site is often covered in low cloud which floats up from the valley below. The house stretches across a high embankment, its form breaking to align with views to the southern valley and to a lower paddock surrounded by a stand of trees. A small terrace sits between the two forms to create the break and to offer a place to take in the view from the entry, while separating the main sleeping areas and teenage children's zone from the living area and master bedroom. The linear form of the house takes in the northern aspect on one side and extensive panorama on the other. While the main views are distant, shorter outlooks into smaller spaces have been created on the northern side by wall and screen orientation. Internally, a quirky view down into a meat-room-cum-larder at the lower level can be seen through glazing in the kitchen island bench, at the client's request. Stone dug from the site will be used as external cladding, for the visually anchored and directional walls, alongside dark timber and raw corrugated iron. Murder Dog is named for the mysterious death of some sheep dogs in a paddock where only the sheep were present!