Wodi Wodi people on Dharawal country
New South Wales
Saddleback Mountain House is the culmination of eight years of planning and construction to create a family home that truly belongs in its landscape. The design centres on an ancient Moreton Bay fig that anchors the plan, with a series of curving pavilions arranged around it. The radius allows the home to sit into the natural dome of the hill, creating sheltered courtyards that offer protection from the site’s strong winds and shifting sun. A concrete spine wall runs the length of the house, separating public and private zones while providing thermal mass to support passive heating and cooling. The pavilions accommodate evolving family needs, from communal living spaces to flexible children’s areas and a private master suite. Landscape shapes outdoor rooms into protected and intimate spaces. The result is a resilient, climate‑responsive home intimately tied to place.
Our brief was straightforward: we wanted a contemporary home with a strong rural vernacular that felt like it truly belonged to the land. It was important to us that the house felt part of the site, not placed on it.
The design does exactly that. As a family with three young children, functionality was critical. The house is incredibly warm and easy to live in. It provides spaces where we can all come together, but also to retreat. It is a beautiful place to raise our children and to be together as a family.