Billy Maynard has created a rural house designed for an urban family in eastern Australia.

The project is located on the New South Wales coast with a primary aspect towards a National Park. It celebrates the joy of living within a verdant site and creates an environment within which to experience the fullness of the seasonal changes and the passing of time.

The design privileges garden over built form and are substantiated by the project's sitting and modest floor area. The L-shaped plan provides a string of private rooms oriented toward the meadow space outside, which connect to the living space via an external passageway inviting the occupants to engage with the garden and weather.

The project's location within a bushfire-prone area precipitated a palette of masonry, concrete, hardwood and steel plate. Operable bushfire shutters serve to mediate privacy, microclimate and the internal relationship to the landscape.

This project has been longlisted in the rural house category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Architect: Billy Maynard

Project: House at Flat Rock