The Lookout House by Room 11 is a permanent getaway at Port Arthur, Tasmania for a semi-retired couple, visiting family and friends.
This project takes the farmhouse typology and transforms it into a hybrid courtyard house. Visitors enter through a largely blank timber facade into a covered. From this point, one views a treed courtyard with the veiled ocean view beyond.
Upon venturing into the main living space the full panorama unfolds: a spectacular vision of iconic Tasman Island and the Southern Ocean. The extruded multi-gable form pushes beyond the building envelope to provide covered outdoor living space and enhance the focus on the landform and horizon.
The three gable roof forms define particular functions within the home: the bedroom on one end followed by the living space in the middle and the kitchen and dining area on the opposite side. In turn, each has an individual relationship to the courtyard and its specific views to the surrounding landscape.
The Lookout House is a simple gesture that opens up the opportunity for a simple life amongst a complex, ever-changing landscape.