Surtierra is an Alpacca farm in the Central Goldfields of Victoria. The owners needed a homestead that had pragmatic echos of the traditional farmhouse but rendered with the modern vernacular of energy efficiency and integration with the landscape.

The house features the practical elements of rural living such as deep verandahs which keep the sun and rain at bay and a large open carport for farm vehicles with an undercover connection to the house. The deep verandah to the west also doubles as an outdoor living area to enjoy distant views to the west. The day living area to the north lets the winter sun in and stores it in the terracotta tiled floor and locally quarried stone walls.

The construction type is a mixture of double cavity brick, stud wall with radially sawn timber and corrugated iron cladding, local stone veneer, and there are bagged brickwork internal thermal mass walls. The palette of materials and textures looks like it has come from the land on which it sits, giving an integration of this homestead with that land around it that the owners are so passionate about looking after.

Design features:

• Passive solar design,
• Optimal natural daylighting,
• Solar hot water service,
• Highly insulated building envelope,
• Double glazing,
• Rainwater harvesting,
• Internal bagged brick thermal mass walls.