Glenburn House / Sean Godsell

Architect: Sean Godsell
Location: Glenburn, Victoria, Australia
Project year: 2004-2007
Project Team: Sean Godsell, Hayley Franklin
Contractor: António Dias Ribeiro, Lda.
Constructed Area: 270 sqm aprox.
Photographs: Earl Carter & Sean Godsell

Glenburn is approximately 1.5 hours drive north east of Melbourne in the rolling foothills of the Yarra Valley. The site is 20ha of re-invigorated farmland with a national forest abutting the north boundary.

The house is located at the top of a hill and enjoys panoramic views of quintessentially Australian landscape. It is partially embedded into the hilltop as a means of protecting the occupants from the prevailing weather and buffering the west side of the building from extreme heat in summer.

Our clients are committed to environmentally sustainable design and the building skin which is an identifiable part of our work includes solar collectors for power and hot water. Other elements such as double glazing, rainwater harvesting and digital power management make this apparently simple house a sophisticated device for passive environmental management.

The plan extends our research into the notion of ‘abstract verandah’ to include a barcode motif in the plan. A series of discrete spaces, organised in a way to suit the client’s particular requirements, results in a coded arrangement that is unique to them – a tectonic thumbprint for living.