The site sits on a ridgeline, looking out across Philip Island to Bass Strait and back across bucolic, pastoral landscapes to the French Island national park. This leads to views in almost all directions which we were keen to capture but also to an intense exposure to the winds and driving rain coming in off the Strait.

Our solution was to design a simple square form courtyard plan, providing a sheltered outdoor space, while also maximizing daylighting and natural ventilation to a house that needed to be self-sustaining in terms of power.

This worked well with the prefabricated nature of the build, enabling an easy module breakup, and allowed us to route circulation around the courtyard while living spaces and bedrooms were given the opportunity to look out to sea.