Mapleton House by Atelier Chen Hung

Designed for an expat who wanted to create an Australian base for himself, and now with a partner, there was always going to be the opportunity to frame the mountain views from the peak of the large rectangular-shaped site. Vacant for many years (a church once stood on the property), the locals had become used to enjoying the panoramic views as they made their way to the local pub. “There was concern from the outset that these views were going to be sacrificed by building a new house,” says architect Melody Chen, who worked closely with the practice’s co-director, James Hung. “From the peak you can see all the way to Coolum Beach (a 20-minute drive),” she adds.

Conscious of appeasing the locals to maintain the view corridors, Atelier Cheng Hung designed two modest pavilions, one for the garage and the other as the house. Just 150 square metres in area, each pavilion has been skewed to be aligned with the mountain ranges and each one fully cladded in zinc including each roof. “This zinc initially appears all shiny and new, but in a short time it starts to form blemishes, whether its from rain drops, leaves brushing against the surface or simply from the effect of sunlight,” says Chen, who sees the zinc as a material that enriches with time.

In contrast to the zinc shells, with their Accoya window frames, the interior of the house is also beautifully lined also with timber, a combination of silver ash and plywood. The home’s concrete floors, conceived as a series of platforms, delineate the open plan arrangement. “Our brief was for only two bedrooms and most of the time our clients are on their own. So, it didn’t make sense to carve up the spaces with walls,” says Chen. The top platform is currently being used as a dining area but could easily morph into something else. The two bedrooms are located on the southern side of the floorplan and the kitchen and living areas are on the northern side, including a platform that’s referred to as an ‘outdoor room’. This level, which has an indoor garden and a skylight, is blurred with the outdoors when the sliding perforated aluminium screen doors are fully retracted. Even a built-in bathtub located on the southern edge is kept free of doors or screens to allow the views of the hinterland to be enjoyed while soaking in the bathtub. “It’s a very fluid arrangement of spaces, quite abstract. But you’re always conscious of the weather and this environment,” says Chen.

Minimally furnished, with an almost Japanese aesthetic, it certainly isn’t the type of house one normally finds in the bush, even though it has become denser with encroaching houses. To make the house feel more spacious, the change in level, approximately 450 millimetres, also functions as additional seating when guests come over. But they can also enjoy the environment sitting around the pot belly fireplace in the living area or simply bring out a chair onto the deck, elevated above the terrain which like the outdoor room, includes operable perforated aluminium screens to moderate the sunlight.

Great architecture doesn’t just happen. It starts with having an open-minded client who is keen to explore ideas. But it also takes the talent of the architects knowing how to pull back and include just the right amount of detail. And unlike most garages that are buried into a plot, in this instance the pleasure also comes from arriving home, parking the car and seeing the mountain ranges through the windscreen.

You can find out more about Atelier Chen Hung on their website or Instagram. Story by Stephen Crafti. Photography by David Chatfield.