BRENTKNOLL — March Studio

BRENT KNOLL

2006 - 2009

‘The annexe is created from folding a copper-clad roof form that was modelled on the gable roof of the farmhouse, abstracting it and extruding it along the site in plan and turning to create a courtyard; this, in turn, embraces the views and offers protection from the prevailing south-westerly.’

Set within the rolling hills of the rural Victorian goldfields, March Studio extends an existing 1850s homestead by adopting a familiar farmstead typology, where dispersed elements such as barns, outbuildings and woolsheds are connected through outdoor space. Here, these parts are unified by a continuous cypress hedge.

At Brent Knoll, the original house is restored to its historic footprint and reconfigured to accommodate a library and guest bedrooms. A new annexe is carefully inserted along the line of the hedge, extending eastward to define the edge of the dwelling before opening north to expansive views across the landscape.

The annexe is formed through the manipulation of a copper-clad gable, abstracted from the existing roof and extruded along the site in plan. This gesture folds and turns to create a protected courtyard that captures northern light while shielding the house from prevailing south-westerly winds.

Programmatically, the sequence begins behind the hedge with a sunken ‘outhouse’ bathroom, establishing the edge of a new outdoor room. A generous kitchen anchors the connection to the existing house, initiating a linear volume defined by a glazed northern façade and a continuous wall of books to the south. The sequence culminates in a glazed master bedroom that projects over the valley, offering a deliberate contrast to the enclosed, weighty character of the original dwelling.

A pressed metal ceiling runs throughout, referencing the Victorian heritage of the homestead while extending outward to form a deep verandah that mediates light and provides protection from the summer sun.