EA House

Esther & Albert’s House - 2025

Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia - On Gundungurra Land

EA house is a family home carefully crafted onto a sensitive rock face escarpment in the NSW Southern Highlands.

A simple elemental gesture that tests opposing emotional & technical responses to its unique site. This sculptural form conceals the very many overlapping constraints and challenges that exist because of its beautiful & dramatic yet difficult site. A left over parcel of land from a suburb that was planned in 1890 before realising there was a giant cliff & gorge. Having been deemed unbuildable The site had been empty ever since. 

The house balances the conceptual ideas of being both a sculptural look out tower against wanting to blend into its natural environment. It touches its site purposefully but carefully so as to have no impact on any existing flora and fauna utilising the natural typography to its advantage. grounding heavily, But minimally, with a small 120m2 footprint, designed to emerge from the rock. A bridge provides both equitable access along with all services to & from the building resulting in minimal impact on the rock escarpment and existing trees.

Planning is paired back. Public and private is opposite to the typically expected with the living at the lower levels having a closer connection to its site. All spaces are connected by a single loaded corridor idea expanding over two levels which slowly reveals the spatial play of the plan and slowly reveals the site to inhabitants like a gallery.

Private & transitional spaces are monastic in concept similar la Tourette. Humbly sized with controlled light and view creating intimate and reflective living. This is Contrasted by the lower levels open plan Living, dining and kitchen with larger curated views. A singular materiality cocoons you and connects to this wider site which feels both dramatic and nourishing at the same time. The varied openings offer many different perspectives of the shared outlook.  

The house manages many overlapping technical constraints. It’s bush fire rating (flame zone the most extreme in Australia), ecological constraints, energy requirements, geotechnical constraints and access does so effortlessly, sculpturally.

Its materiality is fire resistant & maintenance free and blends into the context. There’s no preparation work incase of evacuation and provides amazing internal thermal stability. Combined with the significant levels of additional insulation & FZ glazing the house performs at a very high level passively.

Photograpy: Clinton Weaver

Engineer: Structure Consulting Engineers

Builder: Armstrong Residential & Owner