The centrepiece of a family’s rural retreat and productive farm, The Barn provides a gathering and entertaining area for the family and their guests. It is accessed via a new bridge over Pencil Creek (which feeds Obi Obi creek) and through extensive landscaped gardens and creek banks. The Barn sits on a raised area within a paddock and offers commanding views both up the valley to Mapleton Falls to the east, and to the west into Obi Obi valley.

Our client has enjoyed many family holidays in various resorts in Fiji and wished to create a series of structures that provided a similar degree of escape and recreation for their family. We had numerous discussion around exploring an architectural language which accommodated aspects of traditional south pacific architectural forms but was also appropriate for an Australian rural environment.

A dynamic open gable roof of recycled Spotted Gum floats above two monolithic solid stone walls, providing the barn with its iconic form and authenticity of structure and materials. Auxiliary recycled Spotted Gum amenity and storage boxes and an outdoor room provide external living and service spaces, and balance the large pool and pool terrace.

The Barn is a place for relaxing and entertaining with a north facing swimming pool and spa, covered outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven, dining and lounge areas for outdoor occasions, together with spacious indoor areas for games, socialising, and chatting by the fireplace in winter.

Both indoor and external bathroom areas are provided. Numerous outdoor fire places and pits can be used for cooking and gathering. A yoga deck overlooks the bubbling creek and faces the rising sun.

Extensive landscaping of natives, exotics and edibles allows for outdoor spaces to be explored and enjoyed and connects The Barn to the greater landscape.

The Barn is self-sufficient with rainwater tanks, an 18kw photovoltaic array combined with battery storage, and on site sewage treatment system, and prolific integrated food production.