Australian house emerges from the earth like a living organism

A fragment of the coastal environment eroded by atmospheric agents, a work of land art inspired by the fluid topographical modelling of Charles Jencks, or an "amoeboid" organism that emerges from the earth and then sinks back into it after peeping out over the ocean: this evokes the emblematic house with its organic shapes designed by Wood Marsh studio and overlooking Bass Strait in Australia. A sinuous wall emerges from the ground along the north side, outlining a polylobate volume that rises progressively up to 10 metres on the south-west front towards the landscape and then lowers and plunges back into the ground on the east front. The dwelling is distributed on two levels around a central double-height space with a green courtyard, from which three branches spread out with different functional areas: on the ground floor, the living area (at the highest height of the building), the recreational area with a recording studio for the music-enthusiast client, the sleeping area with four bedrooms. The master bedroom with services, accessible through a sculptural staircase, is located on the first floor.

On the outside, the thick walls of exposed concrete and charred wood, almost devoid of openings except for a few small carvings, reflect the texture of the natural context, dematerialising only in the common areas through the large windows that open onto the panoramic terrace with swimming pool, letting the powerful oceanic landscape filter through. 

Inside, a dramatic contrast between light and shadow dominates the space.  The diffuse light filtering through the living room windows is reflected on the paraboloid ceilings and curved walls, gradually dissolving towards the interior of the house into a caliginous, shadowy atmosphere, accentuated by the dark polished concrete floors and the wood, stone and ceramic cladding in grey and black tones: a tribute to darkness which, as Jun'ichirō Tanizaki would remark, blurs the boundaries of perception and becomes a viaticum of imagination and surprise.