Lorikeet House

A retiring farming couple wanted a new house within their existing rural property for them mainly, but to also to provide for visiting family members. A mud room between the carport and the interior of the house was a necessity. Access to the winter sun formed part of the brief which includes a requirement for an outdoor alfresco that could be enclosed on cold days and an eastern sunny deck.

The name Cowaramup is of the Wardandi people’s origin with the name meaning ‘place of the purple crowned lorikeet’. The Cowaramup district was opened up for closer settlement with the establishment of the Group Settlement Scheme in the early 1920s. Groups 12 and 13, which were in the immediate vicinity of the present town, were both established in April 1922. With the commencement of a railway service in 1924 Cowaramup siding became a busy local centre. The first town site (west of the railway siding) was surveyed in 1925 and the present site was gazetted in 1930.

The township became a service centre for the emerging agricultural industry (predominantly dairy) with a railway station providing the lifeblood for the dispatch and receival of goods. (Source: Margaret River & Districts Historical Society – The Old Settlement).

The region’s geology is dated as perhaps the oldest of the earth’s viticultural regions, surpassing South Africa and Europe, with its granite and gneiss rocks aged between 1,130 and 1,600 million years old. The land as we see it today is a result of global tectonic events that began in the Jurassic period. These tectonic events formed a deep linear trough of sedimentary rocks in the east while an iron-rich lateritic plateau formed in the west, separated by the Dunsborough faultline. Since then, the soil types have mixed and merged across the landscape. Today, the soil profiles of the region are like two patchwork quilts sewn together in the middle with a large stitch representing the Dunsborough ridge.

Uniquely, ten major soil types have been identified in the Margaret River Region ranging from deep, infertile sands to shallow, gravelly soils. The more gravel-dense soils occur down the centre of the region from north to south and in the west while the sandier soils are found in the east. The amount of gravel in the soil depends on proximity to the ironstone ridge which underlies most of the shallower soils of the region.  

There is no denying that this ancient geology makes for a fascinating history as well as an impressive landscape, but the soil composition of the region is also the reason it can produce such distinguished wine as well as gourmet, fresh produce. While the gravelly, moderately fertile soils along the ironstone ridge are ideal for viticulture, the softer, sandier soil types make a great base upon which farmers can build their verdant gardens.  

When it comes to wine, the star of the show in terms of soil type is Ironstone Gravels, known locally as Forest Grove soils. They make up the highest percentage of vineyard area at 45% and are not found anywhere else on Earth. As a result, they are often credited for Margaret River’s success as a wine-producing region. (Source: The Soil from Which Our Region Grows – Margaret River Region).

Located on a rural property this family house accommodates the needs of a farm-based family. Without the need for a formal entry, guest and everyday access is via the mud room off the covered parking area. The house has been designed to provide three distinct zones being; children’s bedroom and games room wing, parents’ bedroom and study wing, and the living areas being central to both.

All internal and external living areas have a northern orientation to ensure excellent winter sun penetration and shaded summer spaces. The open plan layout of the living / kitchen/ dining room is partially separated through the division of the central fireplace. 

The open sided covered timber deck to the eastern side of the building enjoys the morning sun and protection from the prevailing cold wind. To the western side the covered outdoor has more of a ‘closed in’ feel as it protects the occupants from the harsh cold winds and afternoon summer sun. The pavilions while matching in their forms, contrast in their external walls with one pavilion from rammed earth and the other in light weight construction with a timber cladding.

The design of the house orientates to the north to enable the warming winter sun to penetrate all living spaces that are strung out along an east / west axis. Two covered alfresco outdoor areas at each end of the living room pavilion also enjoy the northern aspect while serving to shield the living room pavilion internal spaces from the heat of the morning and afternoon sun in summer. External walls of the rammed earth pavilion are constructed from two leaves of rammed earth separated by an insulated cavity. The stud framed pavilion has several layers of insulation to ensure superior moderating of the internal climate. Roof mounted solar PV panels serve to reduce the demand for power from the grid. Water storage tanks collect the stormwater from the pavilion roofs and an existing machinery shed.