On Wadawurrung Country near Barwon Heads, Josh Cole of WORKCRAFT designs First House Past the Trees—a residence in three parts built around three protected Moonah trees.
The formerly vacant site undulates along its length into three distinct conditions: entry from the street, space below the canopy, and an exposed area to the rear. These existing rhythms directly inform the arrangement of the house, which is made up of three parts: two sheds that form entry points from the street while providing storage and facilitating the workings of the garden; an L-shaped sleeping pavilion oriented around the central Moonah trees; and a living pavilion, open and light, containing the house’s everyday utilities.
The elevation of the house allows it to occupy the space between the ground and the canopy above. At first this seems to separate house from garden, but each room has a window that extends beyond the building line to frame a different moment within the landscape. These apertures are not uniform—varying window heights create habitable zones for storage, working, or simply looking out. The connection is not panoramic but specific: each opening selects a fragment of the garden and holds it still.
Materials were chosen to echo the surrounding context rather than announce themselves. Monotonal fibre-cement panels and blockwork walls reference the silver bark of the Moonah’s, while timber batten screens filter light in a manner similar to the canopies above. Internally, a combination of plasterboard and plywood at different datums signify utility and express volume—modest materials doing precise work, nothing wasted, nothing loud.
