glass house mountain house by bark design in maleny, australia

glass house mountain house by bark design in maleny, australia
photo © christopher frederick jones
all images courtesy of bark design architects

located along a cliff-side facing an expansive hilly landscape outside of in maleny, australia, the ‘glass house mountain house’ has been arranged in order to connect its living experience closely to the site and natural environment. conceived by bark design architects, the residence is characterized by a blending of interior and exterior spaces, featuring broad openings toward the distant hills to the south as well as an internal courtyard. the structure is partially sitting upon the ground plane, while extending outward and elevated by light steel frames.

expansive lengths of wall slide away to link indoor and outdoor spaces
photo © christopher frederick jones

as implied in the project’s title, the dwelling is identified by its many windows, which consistently operate to allow spatial connectivity to the outside. glass planes slide and rotate to open, while louver (jalousie) windows allow for regulated passive ventilation. in addition, the design relates to mountainous landforms of the region through its use of stone. a monumental basalt ‘garden wall’ bounds the house’s courtyard, which also contains a gravel and boulder-filled landscape. beyond its use of stone and glass, the residence features carefully crafted timber elements, in the form of screens, decks, and a walkway-covering through the garden.

an interior hallway is sandwiched between the courtyard and outdoor patio
photo © christopher frederick jones

beyond its extended roof planes and operable door and window elements, the ‘glass house mountain house’ takes influence from japanese design through the concept of wabi sabi. this results in spaces with, ‘a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete which are allowed to weather and evolve with time.’

photo © christopher frederick jones

wood screens and decks complement the characterizing glass and stone elements
photos © christopher frederick jones

the garden features elements of stone, water, and vegetation
photo © christopher frederick jones

a covered wood walkway lines the north edge of the garden
photo © christopher frederick jones

the structure extends outward elevated by light steel frames
photo © christopher frederick jones

photo © christopher frederick jones

photos © christopher frederick jones

the directors of australia-based bark design architects, lindy atkin and stephen guthrie, will be giving a presentation at the iceland academy of arts in reykjavik on thursday september 11, 2014 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. the talk is their first in europe and open to the public.

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