Old Cotton Tree Road
Rural Residential Retreat
| Client | Private Client |
| Scope | Concept design, design development, construction documentation |
| Location | Mornington Peninsular |
| Budget | $1M |
| Year | 2005 |
| Team | Stutterheim / Anderson Landscape Architecture with Kerstin Thompson Architects |
Kerstin Thompson’s brief was to screen the new square-plan house from the neighbour’s view. However, additional possible functions immediately came to mind, to: protect unwitting visitors from the herd of cattle, create an internal garden which would stave off the sea wind; empower the house plan by extension.
The gaps in the hedge extended the internal ‘verandahs’ that fitted within the square of the plan of the upper level. Formally, this outcome was exploring a rectangular version of a circular geometry that we had previously played with: the perfection of the square plan in tension with the irregular elevation ‘landing’ of the rolling Mornington Peninsular topography.
The sculptural quality of the hedge registers the slope and establishes a palette of form that begins to balance the built residence. This soothed the disappointment felt when another wilder version, using only indigenous plants, was rejected by the client.
Sketch Design drawings