A Reinforced Sense of Place – Escarpment House by Virginia Kerridge Architect
In its unique and lushly rich rural setting, Escarpment House takes full advantage of its surrounding aspects, while consciously engaging with the landscape. Through a considered and sensitive approach, Virginia Kerridge Architect proposes an extension that addresses the abundance of the site and reinforces its place as a refuge for animals.
Sitting immersed within its subtropical rainforest milieu, Escarpment House takes its name from its positioning, as an open embrace of its opportunity as an ideal outpost to the surrounding abundance. Located on the South Coast of NSW, the existing home sits overlooking rugged escarpments and rural properties. The brief was to transform what remained, integrated through an extension that embodied the principles of place. As an extension of the values of its clients and caretakers of the land, the resulting home is considered and conceived through conscience, and operates off grid with no additional energy brought in. By taking reference from the surrounding formality and rural and natural language, Virginia Kerridge proposes a statement that connects to the immediate mountains and a makes a broader connection to the environment its ultimate priority.
Built by J2 Build, the extension that is Escarpment House sits connected to the original home, while also separated by the smallest of nudges. The subtle separation deliberately allows for a natural demarcation and acknowledgement of time, while the formal approach and materiality connects meaningfully to the site’s lineage and previous narrative of being the area’s dairy. The new sits amongst the existing escarpments and houses additional accommodation and a supporting living space, while its reaches out from its base, anchored but outstretched to optimise views. The nearby rock formations act as strong influences on the monumental nature of the roof structure and its oversized rationale. The enlarged internal space mimics an appropriate scale to the surrounding nature, while also creating a protective encasing from within.
Utilising as many recycled materials as possible, Escarpment House acts as a place of rest and respite not just for its owners but for rescued animals as well. A sense of protection and kindness underpins the selections and directions for the home and how it engages with the landscape, as a means to capture and express the personalities of its owners. The use of timber endows a sense of warmth and the natural textural variation adds a natural and organic element, while the large glazing enables a sense of immersion, through which to watch the landscape.
The enlarged internal space mimics an appropriate scale to the surrounding nature, while also creating a protective encasing from within.
Virginia Kerridge has beautifully addressed Escarpment House’s enviable heightened position, while ensuring the core ethos of its owners is captured in the extension – as a place of refuge and restoration.
