Zac’s House by Neeson Murcutt Architects

Built as one of three weekenders in a ‘family compound’ on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Zac’s House was originally conceived – and conditionally approved – as a two-storey project, with an eye to minimising the building footprint. The idea was to build ‘up’, not ‘out’. But by the time Neeson Murcutt inherited the project this had all changed: the usefulness of the outdoor areas was limited by setback requirements, and the impact on neighbours was proving too difficult to manage. So instead of abandoning the existing conditional approval and embarking on a lengthy new planning process, Neeson Murcutt set about finding a workable ‘complying’ design: a one-storey home that stretched to the boundary, forging a better home-garden relationship in the process, not to mention dramatically lowering its profile – both vertically and in terms of visual impact.

 In fact, every aspect of this home is about making a statement by going under the radar: being unobtrusive without being bland. Inconspicuous, but never non-descript. Working with a modest budget, the materials palette is described as “robust and raw”: like the exterior interplay between face block and coloured steel. Inside, block walls are bagged and left unpainted, the ceiling structure is exposed, and a concrete floor sees little more than a light polishing. The joinery is mainly understated plywood with discrete areas of laminex for added durability.

 Structurally, the design is subtle and straightforward: taking its form from the rear and side boundaries, and the gradient slope of the site. Inside, the home is arranged as a series of stepped platforms, generating an unexpected spatial diversity within the single-storey format; while the roof retains a singular plane, pitched to the angle of the site. Bedrooms and living spaces are arranged along the north-east garden edge, looking out to the tennis court, with wet areas tucked away against the boundary.

 The approach to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability is also understated yet effective, following standard principles of solar orientation, cross ventilation, space zoning, thermal mass and water efficiency. A walled narrow court allows natural sunlight and ventilation into the adjacent living space and opens up views through the centre of the building. Light is also introduced by way of various door and window treatments, unique to each room in the home.

Zac’s House only takes up one third of its large, 1200m2 suburban block, with the front portion occupied by the family tennis court. There is therefore much potential to replicate the design on a site only one-third the size, trebling density, while still retaining genuine usable garden areas. This renders the home a working model for affordable sustainable housing, ideal for subdivided suburban sites with zero lot alignment, as explored in some of Neeson Murcutt’s previous projects, such as the Five Dock House and the Think Brick competition.

Looking at this ground-hugging one-storey suburban weekender, you would never guess that its existence (though in another form) was nearly scuppered on the basis of ‘impact to neighbours’. As realised, Zac’s House is absolutely low profile in every sense of the word.  +

PHOTOGRAPHY Brett Boardman

1 & 2. The one-storey house closely hugs the slope of the site, as emphasised by a single-plane roof pitched to match the gradient elevation. 3. A peaked clerestorey window illuminates the wet areas tucked inside against the boundary wall. 4. The materials and colour palette are “robust and raw”: exposed timber ceiling supports, unpainted walls, and a lightly polished concrete floor. 5. The simplicity of the home is lifted by colourful accents and the natural warm tones of a high, timber framed ceiling.