Two Houses in Australia

By Caterina Testa - 9 August 2013

With these residential projects, John Wardle Architects engage with the vast Australian landscape. Shearers Quarters is a rural retreat; Fairhaven Beach House, as its name suggests, overlooks the sea. Both take their cue for volumes and apertures from context and orientation. Likewise, interior spatial distribution flows from an understanding of the best solution for everyday living requirements.
In his use of locally sourced materials, essential archaic forms and simple energy- and environment-sparing technologies, John Wardle is very much in line with other great Australian architects espousing a fundamental belief that the natural context should guide the manmade concept. Nor is it just a matter of nature serving as a pleasing backdrop to a project.
Wardle’s work is intimately bound up with respect for the natural environment, in the same way a farmer feels close to his land. Design concepts start from a sense of locality, an awareness of how the sun moves across a particular spot and where the prevailing winds come from. It is a practice

that harks back to craftsmanship of old, when builders had a deep knowledge of their terrain and how best to make use of it.
The Shearers Quarters is located on a working sheep farm started by one Captain James Kelly in 1840. The new building stands on the site of the former shearing shed, hence its name and frugal design. It sits as a companion to the existing historic cottage and is designed to house shearers, family, friends and JWA staff on annual tree-planting weekends and retreats. Space is adaptable and flexible, meeting a variety of needs yet offering a haven for many.
The building’s architectural form and functional distribution provide a warm, welcoming, protective interior. Occupant needs have been anticipated and met using locally sourced materials.
An inset verandah creates a link between the original cottage and the entrance to the new building. Nestled in a gulley...