Arm End House

The main river view is glimpsed only on approach, allowing rhea-oak trees to provide shelter from prevailing winds and create a silhouetted tracery around the building; the soothing sound of the wind through them adds to the sense of calm ("witjweri" to the Tasmanian Aboriginals). This helps give a sense of intimacy to an otherwise open site. Materiality is raw. Celery cladding and movable exterior screens are allowed to weather on the northern façade. The southern facade is protected by a thick pre-cast natural concrete envelope. Protection and openness combine.

Internal spaces are enriched with blackwood & sassafras joinery. Changes in level enhance the spatial experience. Craftsmanship is emphasised as integral to the building process.
The scale and profile of the building is modest, to promote a gentle presence on the site; in part paying homage to the existing shacks along the Opossum Bay waterfront. The building holds to the architect's and client's principle of reducing building scale as a core principle of sustainability.

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Photos by Brett Boardman