Triptych Koonya

We used concrete because it has a solidity that allows us to create a stand-alone building in a really broad landscape, that still feels comfortable and gives you that sense of sanctuary, but it also provides an enormous amount of stiffness to this cantilever and essentially it allows us to have a building whose experience extends all the way to the horizon.

Given that we established quite a strong and brutal and direct approach to creating the home, that allowed us then to make playful interventions off those main spaces. One of the bedrooms has a low horizontal window which when you lie on the bed, you can look out towards the hills beyond and the horizon, and that's only given to you when you lie down. The master bedroom also has a sheepskin cupboard, that just gives you a little bit of a hug as you enter that space, especially when you're alone here and it's just a very playful and enjoyable little element.

The landscaping around the building is driven by the particular gravels that are on the roadways, that are on your journey to the house. We've used different size spawls of those same materials and simply established a perimeter around the building which means that any water falling doesn't create mud and various other problems.

Ventilation in the main house is provided by a bespoke vent system. They're located opposite each other and around the dining table which allows this beautiful cross-flow all day, essentially we get prevailing northerly's and southerly's and we also have a Venturi effect, air is accelerated through these vents along the spine of the building up the main stair which draws all the air out of all the subservient spaces.

The most satisfying part of the completion of these works is the manifestation of the original idea. It has been achieved seamlessly and that's one of the great and unusual components of being an architect.