Jacky Winter Waters
Buried deep in the landscape with views overlooking bush and ocean, Jacky Winter Waters is the perfect creative escape.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson I Photography: Marnie Hawson
‘The house can literally be disassembled and recycled at the end of its life,’ says Jeremy Wortsman. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
‘Carla McRae’'s work is very close to my heart -iIt always brings me a huge sense of calm, and it's such a huge honour to represent her,’ says Jeremy Wortsman. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
‘The house is essentially a tiny home – but with expansive views to the forest on two sides and over the bay to the East, the house doesn’t feel small – with lofty pitched ceilings, built in cabinets to hide away the detritus of life,’ says Imogen Pullar. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
Peeking out through the foliage, Jacky Winter Waters entices its guests at first sight, thanks to the eyes beckoning us forwards. A simple shack made special thanks to the mural adorning the sides and the minimalist design within, Jacky Winters is a creative collaboration between four artists —Carla McRae, David Booth aka Ghostpatrol, April Phillips, Beci Orpin— and Imogen Pullar Architecture.
For a house so emerged in the environment, sustainability drives the design, with Passivhaus principals at the forefront of the build. Jacky Winters Water’s architect Imogen Pullar along with builder Mark van Haandel considered this in a multitude of ways.
As Jacky Winter’s director Jeremy Wortsman shares, ‘Like taping all of the nail joints on the flooring, to the type of footings that were used so the house can literally be disassembled and recycled at the end of its life.’ He continues, ‘Their commitment to building high-performance and sustainable housing was a totally new process for me that has radically changed my perspective on architecture and building.’
Throughout the design, decisions were influenced by the landscape. The compact size —30m2 with a 14m2 mezzanine— was dictated by a high bushfire-level rating; the materials had to withstand BAL 40, including a fully non-combustible exterior. Another factor was the planning restrictions of the colour palette.
‘This ended up working in our favour as the building ends up having a bit of a camouflage effect in some ways,’ Jeremy. ‘This is great as we begin to revegetate the land and return what we can to the original creatures that were living there so we can co-exist together.’
Jeremy shares that from day one, they knew they wanted to do something special with the façade, first reaching out to creative couple Carla McRae and David Booth of Ghostpatrol. ‘They are a powerhouse team when it comes to not only the aesthetics, but the technical challenge of creating large-scale environmental work, and actually executing and painting it,’ says Jeremy.
The house’s footprint is 30 square metres, including a 14 square metre mezzanine inside, and an additional 57 square metre deck for outdoor living. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
Spaces are adaptable and overlapping in function to cleverly accommodate cooking, washing, and multiple beds. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
The small footprint was driven by the project budget, the existing landscape, and the bushfire requirements of the site. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
“The entire design of the property is in dialogue and, in many ways, has been built in response to the conditions of the landscape. Being surrounded by bush and also so close to the sea, we have a very limited envelope that we could build on.”
The mezzanine bedroom. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
“It’s hard to describe or understand from photos, but when you are there, you really feel like you are on the cusp of the world - the entire ocean and sky just opens up in front of you, and I think it just kind of stops your mind for a split second. I can’t think of anything better, to be honest!”
A neutral palette was used for the flooring, splashback, and bathroom. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
The fold-out banquette seat and daybed. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
The Jacky Winters director then wanted to include a connection to Country through a First Nation artist, choosing April Phillips for her ‘totally unique approach to characters … [imbuing] a sense of humour and lightness.’ Paired with Beci Orpin to add the face-like quality to the façade.
‘The house was designed in some ways to be a face, paying tribute to the design of traditional Buddhist stupas which have the eyes of the Buddha painted on all four sides,’ says Jeremy. ‘When I raised this prospect with another JW artist, Beci Orpin, she shared with me that she had been maintaining a Pinterest board called 'Buildings that look like faces', and I knew she would get it!’
Naturally, alongside the view over Waratah Bay towards Wilsons Prom, Jeremy’s favourite feature is in the art. ‘One of the characters from the mural just peeks out between the bushes and can be seen from the beach and street below,’ he says.
‘There have been many times where we've gone for a walk and seen people who have just noticed it, and they have a big smile on their faces or are just very curious to know what it is. I love architecture that can make you smile like that!’
Jacky Winter Waters is the second accommodation/ artist retreat from the Melbourne-based art agency, with a third on the way. They reveal the magic that can come together with their artists to showcase ‘in a real embodied way, off the screen, and into a more living and breathing environment.’
The incredible coastline view peeking through the trees. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
There is an additional 57 square metre deck for outdoor living. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
‘In some ways, Jacky Winter Waters is an inversion of JW Gardens, whereby the artwork is outside and not inside, but the overall spirit remains the same in terms of connecting back to the agency and ending up coming back to us in some way or another and continuing to benefit our artists, team, and friends,’ says Jeremy Wortsman. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
The Walkerville coastline. Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
Jeremy Wortsman with his partner and Lorelei and their two children Winifred (7) and Jeronimo (5). Photo: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Jess Kneebone. Additional styling: Shena Jamieson and Melissa Van Dartel
