red earth – Queensland

Named after the majestic Queensland house that once occupied the site but burnt down, Avonlea was designed and built for a young family and stands on a commanding elevated hillside site in the centre of the market town of Eumundi.”

The brief for the new house was simple, it would be their family home for the long term. Planning for the future was important with their young son in a bedroom close to the master for now. The guest bedroom at the other end of the house with its own access to the outside will become his bedroom when he gets older. The future house was imagined by both client and Robinson Architects to be a continuation of the long history of people living in a house on the site, and that the new house would stand the test of time both architecturally and quality of workmanship.

All rooms enjoy views to the ever-changing mountain vista and cooling cross ventilating breezes. The Eumundi district’s distinctive red earth is showcased in the rammed earth walls on the southern side of the long linear structure that also act as a buffer to the noise of the nearby primary school and market traffic. A razor thin steel roof with large eaves shade the building and offers a contrast to the natural elements of the rammed earth.