1979 The Age-RAIA House of the Year Citation Award
1978 The Age-RAIA House of the Week Citation Award
A renovation to a farm house at Yanakie could be better described as a transformation. But drastic as the changes are, the design by architect Greg Burgess shows considerable respect for the simple geometry of the original building which comprised a basic square plan around a central courtyard. A second storey was added over the central part of the plan and the original court changed to a dining area. A circular stair enclosed in blackwood emerges from the entry to give access to the new storey, and continues upward to form a lookout resembling a lighthouse growing from the roof of the house. From this vantage point, the whole of the 400 hectare property can be surveyed, giving an appreciation of its scale that was never possible from the original house. The look-out takes the form of a hexagonal glass capsule, three metres across, which was placed on top of the cylindrical wall closing the stair by crane.
The new upper floor is enclosed almost entirely by glass and surrounded by timber decks that also allow a 360 degree view of the property just above tree top level. The floor space is a flexible open area designed around a void over the dining table. This level functions as children’s play or hobbies area as well as providing extra space for entertaining. Through the opening in the floor, light filters down to the dining area and conversation pit from which the two storey high space can be appreciated. Pine logs form the basis of the post and beam structure in continuous lengths supporting the pyramid shaped roof.
In an effort to gain more northern light, the original narrow sunroom was extended in a semi-circular form with a pattern of radial roof beams projecting to create a pergola supported on more pine logs. This fully-glazed space resembling a gazebo gives a greater awareness of the site by projecting into the landscaped garden area. Dense screen planting in this area hides the other farm buildings from the house and creates a smaller pocket of outdoor space in contrast to the scale of the property.
John Barker, Director, RAIA (VIC) Housing Service
Yanakie1978