Coopworth | FMD Architects

2021 Tasmanian Architecture Awards

2021 Tasmanian Architecture Awards: People's Choice

Coopworth | FMD Architects

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE | HOUSES (NEW)

Nestled in the rural surrounds of Bruny Island, Tasmania, Coopworth is a contemporary interpretation of a country farmhouse. The house converses with the ever-changing landscape that includes Coopworth sheep, the wide-ranging views to the water and mountain ranges beyond, as well as the weathering red lead shacks dotted over the island.

The footprint of the house is consciously constrained to maximise arable land while maintaining generosity in its thoughtful internal arrangement. Although designed to accommodate two principal occupants, the house can be opened up to host family
and friends through creative interpretations of Australian verandah sleepouts and caravan bunk beds. Frameless windows are pushed to the edge of the floorplate to embrace wild winds and rains – at once inviting in the beauty and brutality of
the weather while offering protection from it.

Client perspective:
How does the design benefit the way you live/work/play/operate/educate/other?
“Our vision is a modern house to complement the immediate landscape of our sheep farm and its hilltop landscape in southern Tasmania. A house combines traditional farm building materials and look, incorporating corrugated iron, wood, concrete and rock with the modern, e.g. modwood and steel. We also wanted to incorporate modern amenities with a philosophy of minimal environmental impact, e.g. off-grid solar. Sitting solid and proud in the paddock, the house is not fenced off from the sheep (their wool insulates the ceiling in the living room, providing a distinctive feature).”