erasmus fairbairn architects

The Gowrie House is sited on a large trout fishing dam (which is the water hazzard at the 9th hole) , on a well cared for golf course .The orientation , being south, informed the concept – a view site for warm weather , a covered verandah and swimming pool looking over the water hazzard and the 9th hole. For windy colder days , the entrance court provides a warm protected enclave , where one can still sit outside enjoying the sunshine. The house has fireplaces in every room , for the freezing , sometimes snowy weather. The farmhouse ‘complex’ was developed from the need to reveal carefully designed exposed trusses. Each part of the building that is pitched is separated and connected with flat concrete , intersecting junctions , preserving and allowing the simplicity and integrity of each component of the design to express itself in a pure manner that is at the same time separate , and together. The scale of the project is thus kept to the right proportions. Gowrie Farm House has been designed to function completely off the grid including heated solar water pipes as underfloor heating (power is available as backup) .