KAMPUNG BATU BIGGA (ROCKY KNOLL SHELTER)
Kampung Batu Bigga stands as a considered and carefully designed rammed earth sanctuary, located 30 kilometres south of Canberra amid rural acreage. Tailored for the avid outdoors enthusiast owner, this residence evokes the rustic charm of a bushwalking hut while seamlessly blending with its scenic surroundings.
Inspired by the bushland landscape, Kampung Batu Bigga epitomises a regional architectural response using rammed earth and Zincalume-finished Custom orb 35 profile. This deliberate design not only integrates the dwelling harmoniously with the rural context but also ensures a low-maintenance, visually captivating exterior. At 160 square metres, the footprint of the home is relatively compact by contemporary standards, in pursuit of a simplified way of living.
Crafted to wrap across the natural contours of the site, the dwelling’s design showcases a striking yet purposeful roof extending on the western and eastern elevations to offer sheltered outdoor spaces and increased weather protection. Within the facade, discreet window seats and functional desk boxes invite contemplation, fostering an immersive connection with the serene surroundings. The robust sandstone retaining walls wrapping the home double as ‘wind walls’, providing a buffer to the strong prevailing winds that are experienced on site.
Type | New build
Location | Googong, NSW
Country | Ngarigo
Builder | Braithwaite Building
Engineer | Ascent Engineering
Photos | Anthony Basheer
Styling | Mode Modern
Status | Complete
Completed | 2022
Recognition | Winner, The Malcolm Moir and Heather Sutherland Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New), 2024 (ACT AIA Awards);
Winner, Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, 2024 (ACT AIA Awards)
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1 Steel frame skeleton and rammed earth walls form the basis of the structural system
2 Western elevation under construction
3 Roof and lightweight walls clad with Zincalume custom orb 35 profile sheets, connecting to an Australian rural building typology
4 Work in progress on site with cantilevered deck along the northern facade
In its pursuit of sustainable living, Kampung Batu Bigga utilises self-sufficiency. Supported by a robust steel frame, the residence operates independently with a 100,000L water tank, a dedicated bushfire fighting tank, a 10kW solar panel array, and an onsite wastewater treatment system. A future irrigation system will be adapted onto the external fascia, and there is an onsite bushfire fighting trailer should need arise – further enhancing the off-grid nature of this bush home.
A linking deck along the northern facade echoes traditional rural Australian homes, offering fluid access inside and out. From the outdoor kitchen nestled amid mature eucalypts to serene internal spaces designed for introspection, Kampung Batu Bigga is an idyllic retreat intended to harmonise the architecture and its occupants with nature.
The following citation is from the 2024 ACT architecture awards jury, upon Kampung Batu Bigga receiving the prestigious Malcolm Moir and Heather Sutherland Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New):
“Very seldomly projects arise from an inextricable connection to site that approaches the poetic. Inspired by rudimentary trekking shelters, this house heightens the experience of the rocky knoll.
Working across scales, Truscott and Leeson have elegantly carved a shelf from the knoll with calligraphic rock walls working as retaining and low landscape walls. Nested within this zone a lyrical interplay of sliding rammed earth walls, dynamic roof and corrugated metal clad pods define a sensory journey across the site.
The simple profiled gable roof pushes and pulls with the wall and pods, aligning and then easing away to the landscape, defining interstitial nooks with the rocky site walls, and unfolding to open terraces that intersect the landscape. The oblique roof geometry arcs down to offer an intimate scale to the terrace, whilst a tension with the floating rainwater heads celebrates the balletic capture of rainwater.
At the personal scale, lyrical painted steel rod frames interweave with plywood joinery, working in counterpoint to the earthy tactility of the rammed earth walls.
Exuding a simplicity and rawness that seems to have been formed from the site forces, this project delights with elegant details and lightness of touch.”
Kampung Batu Bigga (Rocky Knoll Shelter) was designed and documented by Sarah as the lead architect, whilst working for Philip Leeson Architects.
Construction stage site advice was provided by Sarah Truscott Architect.