Australian duo stitch together off-grid Cooroy House with long veranda

A linear veranda forms a spine for Cooroy House, an off-grid home built by design duo Henry Bennett and Dan Wilson on a bushland site in Queensland, Australia.

Tucked into the hills of Cooroy in the Noosa hinterland region, the home was designed for a semi-retired couple who already lived on the site in a small worker's cottage.

The couple commissioned Melbourne-based architect Wilson and Noosa-based architectural designer Bennett to design an off-grid home that could be powered by solar energy, passively heated and cooled and use tank water and a septic system.

They also asked for a design that respects the site's lush subtropical gardens, which they had spent years carefully regenerating.

Wilson and Bennett designed a single-storey L-shaped home using low-cost materials modelled on traditional Queenslander cottages, such as painted timber boards, a tin roof and timber decking.

Cooroy House's hipped roof, which is clad in white weatherboard, also draws on this local vernacular, as well as its lightweight structure, which is raised off the ground to minimise the need for concrete foundations and retaining walls.

The long sweeping veranda is another nod to local architecture and forms a key part of the design. Held up by steel columns, the covered walkway runs the length of the building's northeast side and connects the living spaces, which are arranged as a "series of pavilions and courtyard gardens".

Large sliding doors enhance the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

"This outdoor space acts as the main circulation route, providing its occupants with a constant connection to the landscape," said Bennett.

"The building is shady in summer, sunny in winter, it opens right up to capture breezes and it offers many different spots to enjoy the landscape at different times of the year," added Wilson.

'The client has put so much time and energy into the gardens, and it's this that makes the home truly wonderful," he continued.

Bennett and Wilson painted the timber cladding to create a durable finish, protecting it from harsh weather at the site.

Fixed timber screens act as a garden trellis, while sliding versions provide privacy and weather protection.

Inside, Cooroy House comprises two bedrooms and bathrooms, alongside an open-plan kitchen and living area. There is also a semi-open dining room.

They are finished with a palette of materials chosen for warmth and durability, including timber floors and plywood joinery.

Painted plasterboard walls form the internal lining while exposed timber rafters offer a glimpse of how the building was put together, as well as adding texture to the rooms. Deadstock stone cut into slabs and tiles is used throughout the kitchen and bathrooms.

Other Australian homes recently featured on Dezeen include the "sculptural and brutalist" South Yarra House by Pandolfini Architects and DFJ Architects' Mango Lane, a house with wings linked by an external walkway.

The photography is by Yaseera Moosa. 

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