Two Sheds by DREAMER
Following the formation of local farmhouses, looking out over the rolling hills to the ocean, Two Sheds by DREAMER takes inspiration from the natural world around it.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Rory Gardiner
Two Sheds by DREAMER is a design project that embraces a truly eco-mindset, moving beyond sustainable materiality into vernacular architecture. Located on 25 acres of bush west of Lorne on the epic Great Ocean Road coastline of Victoria, the home becomes a retreat for the owners to disconnect from city life.
Purchased by the Managing Director of NH Architecture, Roger Nelson, and wife Jane, in 2010, the home needed extensive planning and understanding of the site—it took seven years before Roger had designed the house and obtained the correct planning permit.
“The story of Two Sheds is unusual,” DREAMER director, Ben Shield explains. “The clients came to us with a design for another house on the same site, that was much larger. Through our conversations and research phase, we worked with them to develop a new design that was about 30% in size of the original floor area.”
Part of the site's limitations was the severe risk of bushfires; as such, the home was built to withstand BAL (bushfire attack level) 29. The careful choice of timber, glass, and roofing was vital to ensure the house would be protected.
There’s a lot of timber in the construction industry that comes from rainforest logging—and it is very difficult to track. For Two Sheds we used reclaimed timber from Ecotimber in Victoria,” says Ben Shield. Photo - Rory Gardiner.
“Two Sheds helped us to see it was possible to deliver more with less, to use design to create better buildings that were smaller.”
The home only uses an eco-blend of concrete that uses less cement with a mix of recycled materials; timber from certified suppliers; and implementation of solar, rainwater harvesting and fossil-fuel-free energy.Two Sheds' location was also essential to the design, as the Nelsons embarked on a 30-year project to rejuvenate the surrounding bushland, developing a native garden—assisted by Scott Leung of Eckersley Garden Architecture.
While the architects considered practical elements like the gable roof design with high performing insulation and deep walls or carefully placed verandas and eaves to protect the walls from the intense Australian sun, they also adopted Jane’s love of art into the design. Inspired by the Louisiana gallery in Denmark, they brought aspects of the contemporary art space into their Lorne home — accents of brass finish the dark timber and polished concrete.
Using the vernacular of the area, Two Shed comprises of almost identical timber sheds, with the external rawness juxtaposing the refined, elegant internal rooms. Bedrooms are tucked away for privacy, while living spaces spill over, embracing open plan living to bring the family together. The buildings are connected by both a gallery and a terrace, confirming the relationship between inside rooms and the natural world surrounding the property.
“I have fallen in love with vernacular styles of architecture, locally in cottages and terrace houses and in Japan too with their Machiya and other traditional types of housing.”
“The verandas expressed rafters and roof eaves are reminiscent of Australian typologies such as the cottage and shed and similar elements are can be found on buildings nearby,” says DREAMER director, Ben Shield. Photo - Rory Gardiner.
“They align with existing contours and are consequently cranked to face away from each other, increasing privacy to sleeping shed and bedrooms,” Ben adds.“Verandas line the hill and ocean sides of the buildings, mediating the sun and providing a deep threshold, from inside to out—importantly these have also become great informal social spaces for a drink and chat.”
With views over the Lorne coastline and rolling hills, the building is entirely private, balancing the site between its environment and breathing room to recharge. Critical to DREAMER is architecture engaging its environment between nature, people, and space —employing the design methodology of a ‘human-centred approach’ that is holistic and efficient. Two Sheds become a perfect example of their manifesto of deliver more with less.
Photo - Rory Gardiner.
Photo - Rory Gardiner.
“We’re obsessed with using less material and less floor area to deliver better buildings, we believe that we need massive systemic change in the construction industry to flip construction processes,” says Ben Shield, DREAMER director. Photo - Rory Gardiner.