Perched high above the valley at the southern foothills of the Great Dividing Range, our Neerim Junction project continues to take form — its interior spaces now unfolding as key materials begin to define the home. Our latest site visit offers a glimpse into the experience of moving through the house itself.
As you enter through the front door, a small window cut through the rammed earth wall offers an immediate glimpse of the landscape beyond. A moment of orientation that connects the interior to the expansive valley from the very first step inside.
A curved corridor of rammed earth now guides circulation through the home, carrying the material language of the exterior deep into the interior. The walls, layered with natural compacted earth, create a tactile passage that connects the various living zones while softly moderating light and temperature. Walking alongside these walls, the subtle colour variations and natural textures become an ever-changing backdrop.
Moments of warmth emerge through carefully crafted timber elements. Hardwood-lined window seats are now installed, creating quiet pockets to sit and look out across the sweeping landscape beyond. These intimate spaces contrast with the exterior window boxes framed in steel — a deliberate balance between enclosure and openness, and between cool and warm materials.
Elsewhere, the material palette continues to unfold with clarity and restraint. Rammed earth walls meet polished concrete floors, timber panelled ceiling inlays and a stone feature wall behind the fireplace, with stone sourced directly from the site. Each material has been chosen not only for durability and environmental performance, but also for the enduring beauty and patina it will develop over time.
Outside, charred Yakisugi cladding now wraps the exterior form, protecting the home while grounding it visually against the darker tones of the surrounding bushland. The newly completed timber deck extends the living spaces outward, allowing the house to sit comfortably within its vast setting above the valley.
Beyond aesthetics, the home continues to perform as designed. Neerim Junction will operate as a fully off-grid residence with an 8.5-star NatHERS energy rating, powered by solar energy, harvested rainwater and on-site waste management. Passive solar orientation and the thermal mass of the rammed earth walls contribute to create a home that works in harmony with the landscape rather than against it.
As construction progresses, we are putting the final touches on each space — earth, timber, stone and steel working together to create a home that feels grounded, calm and enduring.
A place shaped not only by its views, but by the experience of moving through it.
View the project & follow along for more progress updates.
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