A Robust and Resilient Homage – Wye River House by MGAO

Paying homage to the fibro sheet homes of the coastal regions along Australia’s coast, Wye River House combines a contemporary sensibility with a respectful nod to the past. With MGAO generously taking on the commission pro bono following the devastating 2015 bushfires, the resulting home is a robust and resilient response to site.

Located along the popular coastal region of Victoria’s Wye River, the same-named home was conceived following recent bushfires in the area. The proposal is a conversation with its locale, capturing elements from the architectural language of the area’s past, where light-weight fibro-sheet construction methods were widely used, and the present need for dwellings to respond intuitively to the climate and very real bushfire threat. As part of a pro-bono commission, MGAO worked collaboratively with a willing client to embrace elements of the area’s past together with an informed materiality and robust structural approach. The resulting home is one of refined restraint, intended as a testament of resilience.

The owners have a long lineage connecting them to the area and the township of Wye River specifically, which they wanted to continue and express through their design response.

Built by Basebuild Construction, together with engineering by Webb Consult and Simon Anderson Consultants, Wye River House is one of a series of three homes taken on as an exploration of form and its appropriateness within such harsh conditions. The owners have a long lineage connecting them to the area and the township of Wye River specifically, which they wanted to continue and express through their design response. The original use of light weight materiality, namely timber and large fibro sheets, came from the need to access difficult sites, the lessening of the resource load and the ease of constructability. From here, a vernacular and familiar design language evolved.

While still embodying a casual and less defined arrangement, Wye River House is deliberately small and light as it sits anchored delicately to its site. A regular form offers a defined silhouette, while large openings connect the interior with the surrounding landscape. The planning sees four equal-sized rooms come together and allow a flexibility of use as needed, while extruding blade walls offer a sense of privacy and funnel views outward. The emphasis is on a lasting resonance, and with the use of a cooler palette of greys and white there is a fresh contemporary feel that matches the proximity to the ocean. Avoiding ornament, the home is inspired by its connection to place and offers an appreciative outpost for its owners to immerse themselves within.

The planning sees four equal sized rooms come together and allow a flexibility of use as needed, while extruding blade walls offer a sense of privacy and funnel views outward.

Wye River House combines a logic and pragmatism in its affront to a bushfire-prone area. Through capturing elements of the area’s signature language, MGAO has crafted a home intended to age beautifully in place, befitting of its locale.