Expression of Place – Farmhouse by Smith Architects

Inspired by its placement and an embedded family history with the land, Farmhouse expresses the processes, colours and materiality of rural life. Smith Architects responds to the unfolding conditions presented on site and embraces the owner’s deep-seated connection to place.

With the client having some 40 years of earned appreciation of farm life, having lived and worked the land with her late husband, Farmhouse is conceived as her second chapter. The new is proposed as a series of three elements that support everyday life and connect to the simplicity of living rurally. Located in Brisbane, the home is comprised of a house, a shed and a paddock, which are all within reasonable distance to one another, enabling ageing in place and a lasting connection to the land. The resulting approach sees references to the workings of the farm, the ploughed textures and patterns created and warm earthed colourings that change seasonally. Smith Architects draws from this historical connection to allow new interrelationships with place through a rich and textural approach.

The resulting approach sees references to the workings of the farm, the ploughed textures and patterns created and warm earthed colourings that change seasonally.

Built by Lak Constructions, Farmhouse is a home that connects, responds and engages with its site. Its positioning creates a sense of protection from the elements, while its orientations and apertures open up to key views and vistas of the land beyond the built form, as a reminder of its location. The form of both the shed and residence act as an homage to the traditional rural building vernacular and are clad in sheet metal, detailed to add a level of refinement. Connection to the past and the previous buildings on site, exposed truss structural systems and a raised exposed concrete floor also offer a reminder.

The materiality is inspired by this connection to the earth, with rich red brick flooring laid in patterns to hint at the movement of the plough, while the building itself is deliberately set into the site. Timber of the spotted gum variety, found in areas around the property, is then used internally for flooring and custom furniture, adding another layer of warmth. While the spatial planning was inspired by an openness, it was also inspired by the clients wish to age in place and the consequent needs of designing for limited mobility if needed. Enlarged circulation corridors and hardware and fittings that will work across all ages, have also been considered, and integrated to feel deliberate from the onset, easing the transition.

Its positioning creates a sense of protection from the elements, while its orientations and apertures open up to key views and vistas of the land beyond the built form, as a reminder of its location.

Farmhouse is a curated home, conceived through a rural lens of a simple life. Smith Architects has elevated the typical farm home and through careful placement ensured that its inhabitant’s enduring connection to place can continue for many years to come.