A Contemporary Australian Farm – Crackenback House by Casey Brown
Thredbo valley is more than just a pristine rural landscape lying on the outskirts of the largest National Park in the state. Amongst the snow gums and nestled in the alpine grasses lies Crackenback House, the latest residence designed and constructed in collaboration between Rob Brown, of Casey Brown, and John Fielding, of Bellevarde Constructions.
Casey Brown and Bellevarde Constructions have designed and built over 10homes together. This contemporary residence is the culmination of a lifetime of work in building and construction for John and a home to call his own. John has worked alongside Australia’s leading architects and designers creating some of the most awarded homes in the nation, so, unsurprisingly, his own home is highly distinctive. Award-winning architect Rob Brown, from Casey Brown, and Bellevarde‘s own in-house architect Caroline Kite worked in unison to design and detail every aspect of the home.
The property itself spans 75 acres. The main house is the final structure in a collection of modern corrugated steel farm buildings, including stables, manager’s quarters and machinery shed all designed by Rob Brown. The stables, completed in 2016, won a host of coveted awards for design and execution, including the German Design Prize, AIA NSW Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture and AIA NSW Residential Architecture Houses Award just to name a few. Rob says, “as it happened, we built the main home last, which is highly unusual in building a series of farm structures. It had to have a similarity to the other buildings previously built but another level of sophistication. It had to have a presence and, as you can see, a real harmony between the stables and the main residence.”
As Caroline Kite explains, the project was the result of “a very collaborative approach, which is exactly how it was on this project. Every conversation and decision were about how we could make things the very best.” With Bellevarde and Casey Brown having a long working relationship “the supportive and united attitude everyone had toward each other created an outstanding building.” And, she adds, “I think it is important to mention our site manager Steve O’Ryan. After working with Steve, particularly on this build, it is apparent how much the builder can influence a project’s outcome and its overall success. Steve brought so much expertise about good building practices and has an innate ability to distil detail into its simplest and most minimal form, which is a great skill. It’s very easy to over-complicate something. Every detail and junction throughout the building was perfectly executed.”
The brief was to build a practical farmhouse in a simple form, using corrugated steel, rusted steel and concrete: all inexpensive materials yet beautifully detailed and executed. Rob says, “when it came to the build, John was open to being quite experimental which made it very exciting, and I suppose, an adventure. ”As a result, the exterior was wrapped in galvanised steel and has weathered steel ends, a modern nod to Australian rural sheds. On the southern side is a large tilt-up garage door providing undercover entry to the building at mid-level. The east-west elevations are punctuated with small-framed openings capturing the surround bushland vistas. John describes, “there are no materials that are expensive except possibly some of the fittings. It is about the workmanship; you take those modest materials, and you create something spectacular.”
Given the environmental conditions can be quite extreme in this part of the country, the design had to withstand snowstorms in the colder months and bush fires in the heat of the Australian summer. All buildings are heated with a wood-burning hydronic system that heats water circulated through the slabs, providing comfort during the snowy winter weather. The exposed concrete internally provide thermal mass to mediate against diurnal variation, mitigating the hottest and coolest parts of the day. Rainwater is collected into large tanks for use throughout the building and across the property. Waste from the building is all processed naturally onsite. Rob explains, “once you move into the country, the climate becomes a much more dominant design issue, as well as sustainability, energy and water efficiency of the home. All of those things are a big determinant of architectural form, architectural materiality, and creating enduring structures.”
The stables are set perpendicular to the adjacent machinery shed, forming a barrier from the winter winds. A large portal through the stables frames the view to the landscape beyond and provides a practical space for preparing for a horse ride, unpacking a car, storing firewood, as well as a dry entry to the building. The area is home to five horse stables, associated workshops, feed rooms and tack room, and a self-contained two-bedroom apartment above. John confides: “We are going to build three more small houses on the property, as well as an architect-designed vegetable garden and some more horse shelters. The plan is to use different architects, so that the whole property becomes an architectural experience.”
The main house is built on a ridge and commands an authority within the compound. This height created the opportunity for a split-level plan allowing for a 3m-high sloping panorama window that gazes across the landscape. This outlook takes advantage of the northern aspect in the living, dining, and kitchen areas – the favourite part of the home for John: “The living room is easily the best part. We get wonderful winter sun and beautiful light for the whole of summer. The large eave and slope on the north shades the building during the hottest months.”
The rustic exterior conceals a modern concrete interior –a detailed, rich material palette of polished concrete, tallowwood ceilings, and black metal. The interior finishes are raw and robust, with steel and concrete being the primary materials. In the living areas, timber joinery adds a sense of refinement and warmth to the spaces. Caroline reflects, “we wanted it to have a masculine toughness to the home, but the tallowwood and pops of colour softened this, warming and unifying the space. The three skylights add some vibrance and humour to the home – we didn’t want it to feel austere or too serious.”
Intrinsic to the plan is the central sculptural off-form concrete stair, lit from above with coloured skylights and acting as a pivot to the entry, garage, upper living, and lower bedroom levels. As central access to the house, all hands were on deck to get the right form and work through the design resolution. All the formwork was made off-site by a joiner, coming to the site to be assembled in pieces. Rob took the inspiration for the staircase from the famed ‘Relativity’ lithograph by artist Esher. He explains, “I always wanted the central stair to have that sort of perspective to it. It is not exactly obvious what was happening within the limits of practicality, and the whole house circulation revolves around it.”
When asked what the most significant challenge in the build was, John answers, “nothing’s really hard when you know how to do it, or if you’re happy to think about it and figure it out. Credit to Rob, Caroline and Steve –they went above and beyond on that house to do the best they possibly could.” It is a sentiment that the home stands as a testament to, representing the collaborator’s collective passion and energy for their work.
