Eden Valley Farmhouse, Eden Valley, SA, 2013
Located high in the Barossa Valley with panoramic views that inspired Hans Heysen, this Farmhouse sits atop a rolling hillside, autonomously off the grid. The site has more extreme winters and summers than the sheltered lowlands.
Living and sleeping zones are separated by a breezeway, the building is elevated on a plinth of local stone, collected and crafted by the owners.
A polished concrete slab to the living area teams with performance glazing to ensure adequate thermal mass and passive solar gain to warm against a harsh winter. A slow combustion heater sits within a gathered stone fireplace and shares accumulated heat via transfer ducts to take the chill of the bedroom). In summer, cross ventilation and evaporative cooling team to minimise load on the roof mounted pv array.
The roof is good old corrugated. Claddings are a mix of the same with raw finish fibre cement and Australian hardwood boards to happily express a rural palette in a harsh environment.