An Intriguing Shelter – Camping Ground Mudgee by Casey Brown Architecture

Responding to its mountaintop locale, Camping Ground Mudgee is the realisation of the vision of an impassioned client with a strong connection to the landscape. Casey Brown Architecture proposes an intriguing permanent vernacular in place of a temporary camping shelter.

In its lofted location, Camping Ground Mudgee sits atop a mountain of the same name in New South Wales. As an alternate to the traditional camping shelter structure, this proposal’s permanence is first and foremost its main feature. But look closer, and as a shelter the design offers a nuanced interpretation on a brief for elements that embed additional amenity, while still sitting under a contextually appropriate rustic guise. The result of a client’s dream, the structure takes occupancy on a sheep station and shares its site with an array of tumbled and textured granite boulders and deceased trees, while having expansive outward views downward and across the ranges. Casey Brown Architecture challenges the traditional need for shelter, in this case focusing on the act of camping, and propose a vernacular that is both sculptural in its addition to the landscape and warming in the embrace of its visitors.

Casey Brown Architecture challenges the traditional need for shelter, in this case focusing on the act of camping, and proposes a vernacular that is both sculptural in its addition to the landscape and warming in the embrace of its visitors.

Built by Jeffrey Broadfield together with engineering by Murtagh Bond, the structure both expands and contracts as needed. Clad in copper, the 3m x 3m footprint inserts itself into the landscape, with a slightness that is, ironically, hard to ignore. Its metal clad wings have the capacity to be winched upward, opening the structure and creating four covered outdoor areas, while the integrated glass panels provide visual access to views toward the horizon. The structure is the result of measured rigour, allowing for its one or two visitors to customise their stay.

As a product of its location and access to the site, the structure in its entirety was prefabricated in Sydney and delivered to site, where it was placed and finalised. Internally, the spaces are clad in recycled ironbark timber, fully encasing the interior and creating a sense of warmth for both the kitchen, living and raised bed loft area, while also being insulated to match the climatic conditions of the area and expected extreme temperatures. Key to the success of a project in such a remote location is a sustained comfort and access to water, shelter and waste collection. Water is gathered on the roof surfaces of the main structure and the WC (a separate building) and is retained for reuse as needed.

As a product of its location and access to the site, the structure in its entirety was prefabricated in Sydney and delivered to site, where it was placed and finalised.

Camping Ground Mudgee references the rustic and rural stylings of its location, taking formal cues from the site’s sheep station narrative. In the process, Casey Brown Architecture has created a structural solution that could be implemented across any variety of remote sites, allowing a heightened and more convenience-driven camping experience, which could potentially extend the traditional audience of those wanting to adventure to such far-reaching places.