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Architects: small.
- Area: 27 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Derek Swalwell
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Lead Architect: Nick Lane
Text description provided by the architects. The Brook sits in a paddock atop an old Gasometer among the ruins of a flour mill. It is situated in Rosebrook, South West Victoria, on the traditional lands of the Gunditjmara people.The Brook was designed to capture the remarkable wetlands surrounding the Gasometer, with windows that frame the Moyne river, lush paddocks and the occasional passing dairy cow.
The brief was further determined by the dimensions of a truck trailer, which is the most suitable size for a tiny home. While it was important to create a home that could be transported beneath power lines, it was also essential that the space felt generous and open. The solution came in the form of a telescopic frame with a retractable roof and cog system, which lowers the roof for transport and raises it on location, creating a high-ceilinged living space. The system is the central design feature of the home.
Multi-use and intersecting spaces are the focus of the interior in order to maximize the utility of the limited footprint. Staggered flooring creates opportunities for storage and seating as the rooms transition from kitchen to lounge, and mezzanine office to the bedroom. The sliding door closes off the bathroom but reveals hidden storage in the kitchen.
The double-height gives the lounge an additional sense of space. It features a split-level office, where the mezzanine floor becomes a seat for the study and the desk becomes the guardrail. It is a small space, but it feels much larger, given it shares the height of the lounge. The lower section is encased by steel glass windows and pivot doors. Copper and ply louvers run horizontally along with the glass, hiding fly wire but coaxing the south-westerly breeze to travel up through the building.
Material availability and selection were inspired and informed by the rural setting. Folding into the landscape of rusted red farm sheds and weather-beaten coastal buildings, the Brooke consists of locally sourced or recycled elements that reflect its locale. Thin strips of locally felled cypress make up the exterior cladding. As it greys from the wind and the rain, it will resemble a house of twigs, twisting and slightly bowing against the oxidizing copper, gradually melding into the landscape.
The floor-to-ceiling windows mean the building is flooded with natural light by day, so the interior materials chosen are warm, textured and dark. Local volcanic rock lines the bathroom, concrete and galvanized steel details throughout with recycled hardwood from building demolition. The staircase at the entrance and deck are all completely recycled from nearby concrete cow troughs and mesh from an abandoned pig shed.
Since the completion of the Brook, Aaron has launched an Australian based design and construction firm, with partners Luke and Greg called Small Projects. Small projects specialise in the design, manufacture, and delivery of small transportable dwellings like the brook.
