partners hill harnesses rainwater within rooftop of its translucent 'longhouse' in australia

australian studio partners hill presents its ‘longhouse’, a study in programmatic inclusion. the project introduces a boutique farm, garden kitchen, cooking school, and reception venue, all within a single shed enclosure stretching 110 meters long. by internalizing all agricultural and hospitality activities under one enormous roof, the team provides a performative container for living, learning, and entertaining as well as for nurturing animals and fresh produce. the project is expressed as a massive greenhouse whose built form is large enough and protected enough for the natural landscape to flourish inside.

all images by rory gardiner

located north of daylesford in central victoria, the elevated longhouse by partners hill looks out over vast plains and bushland. the design team at once fell in love with the 20-acre swath of land for its captivating views overlooking daylesford, hepburn springs, and mount franklin. here, the site encourages a new rural atmosphere where food, family, design-minded lifestyles converge. together with the enchanting, expansive vistas, the site brings with it the challenges of extreme temperature variations, strong winds from all directions, a lack of water, and grazing fauna. 

‘longhouse’ is the result of highly rational and deductive moves. the enormous roof harvests every drop of collected rainwater, which is gathered in 340,000 liter capacity tanks, some for on demand use and others for fighting fires. complex algorithms are used to calculate the optimal roof area to capture the amount of water required to grow the garden and be ample for everyday use as well as plentiful for the cooking school. the strategy to profoundly enlarge the roof harvesting capacity proves an equal match for water demand and bush-fire defense.

within the translucent glass-reinforced polyester skin of the structure, an oasis flourishes. smart gel-coated cladding provides different levels of UV and infrared resistance and panels with different finishes have been deployed to optimize solar penetration and shading depending on the orientation of each façade and roof plane. thermal performance stabilizes temperatures inside year-round so there is warmth in winter and a cooling effect in summer. large openings and high fenestration frame views of the surroundings and skies, and control ventilation. agricultural advances have been harnessed for crop yields and building efficiency.

project info:

project title: longhouse

architecture: partners hill

location: daylesford, australia

completion: 2019

photography: rory gardiner