In EA House, Bokey Grant places the living areas on the lower levels, arranged around an open-plan layout that maintains a close connection with the site. In contrast, the private and transitional spaces are more compact in scale and, combined with the controlled use of light and views, create intimate environments that invite introspection.
The house naturally addresses the site's ecological constraints, energy requirements, geotechnical conditions, accessibility requirements, and bushfire risk. To this end, the building's services and ancillary elements are integrated as an essential part of the project and its sculptural approach.
EA House by Bokey Grant. Photograph by Clinton Weaver.
Project description by Bokey Grant
EA House is a family home carefully crafted onto a sensitive rock cliff face escarpment in the southern highlands.
A simple elemental gesture testing emotional responses on a difficult and unique site. An experimental house, while simple in form, it solves many overlapping constraints and challenges that exist because of the site. A left over parcel of land from a suburb that was planned before realising there was a giant cliff & gorge. Since being deemed unbuildable, the site had been empty ever since.
The house balances the conceptual ideas of being both a look out tower against blending into its natural environment. It touches its site purposefully but carefully so as to have no impact on any existing flora and fauna utilising the natural typography to its advantage. Grounding heavily, But minimally with a small 120m² footprint designed to emerge from the rock. A bridge provides both equitable access along with being the conduit for all services to and from the building resulting in minimal impact on the rock escarpment and existing trees.
Planning is paired back. Public and private is opposite to the typically expected with the living at the lower levels having a closer connection to its site. All spaces are connected by a single loaded corridor idea expanding over two levels which slowly reveals the spatial play of the plan and slowly reveals the site to inhabitants. Stripped of excess, yet rich in sensory and spatial experience.
Private & transitional spaces are monastic in concept similar La Tourette. Humbly sized with controlled light and view creating intimate and reflective living. This is contrasted by the lower levels open plan living, dining and kitchen with larger curated views. Each element conceived as a piece of furniture arranged in and breaking up the space. A singular materiality cocoons you and connects to this wider site which feels both dramatic and nourishing at the same time. The varied openings offer many different perspectives of the shared outlook.
The house manages many overlapping technical constraints. Its flame zone bush fire rating, ecological constraints, energy requirements, geotechnical constraints and access does so effortlessly. We didn’t have the grace of an unseen elevation; even the roof is visible. The house’s ancillaries and services became an integral part of the design and sculptural proposition.
Its materiality is fire resistant & maintenance free and recedes into the context. There’s no preparation work in case of evacuation and provides amazing internal thermal stability. Combined with the significant levels of additional insulation & FZ glazing, the house performs at a very high level passively.
This house experiments with a new way of living in the landscape canopy. Its simple elemental gesture conceals the technical challenges of this project, offering a model for housing in a challenging environment.
