Drawer Unit in Ancient Murray River Red Gum:Floor Hatch.jpg

Loft Bedroom Level with Ironbark Structure and Lining.jpg

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Permanent Camping II

Berry NSW

2021

Two tiny copper towers located on a gentle rising hill, amongst the lush green paddocks of Berry overlook the Pacific Ocean. Designed to provide the essential requirements for shelter, a bed, a porch or deck, a fire place and a bathroom. A retreat with ‘everything you need and nothing you don’t need’ with the demands of living distilled to the bare essentials.

The floor plan at 3m x 3m is the minimal footprint two people can co-exist without uncomfortably invading their personal space. The living space at ground level includes facilities to cook, store things and heat the cabin with sides completely opening up to a morning deck and afternoon deck doubling the usable floor space. The bed is accessed up a ladder on the second level mezzanine. The bathroom structure is a separate tower linked by a deck immediately to the rear with its own water tank storing roof water and a composting toilet.

A get away, a permanent tent, a place to enjoy nature and simple living, protected when not in use from the harsh elements by a fully enclosing copper skin only opened when in use. This ensures the finely crafted iron bark interior avoids the ravages of the Australian sun.

The structure all in recycled iron bark from a disused wharf floats above the pasture grasses. Three manual winches lift and lower the sides creating protected decks and shelter from the summer sun. Water is collected on the roofs and gravity fed to the tank above the bathroom and on to the shower and kitchen. A pot belly wood fired stove heats the cabin at night. Solar panels on the roof provide power for lighting. Permanent access is provided to the roof which doubles as a lightning conductor.

Pre- fabricated by master craftsman Jeffery Broadfield and the building team from Smith and Primmer in a barn on site, PC2 represents a highly refined continuation of the tradition of PC1 in Mudgee designed by Caseybrown and built by Jeffery Broadfield some 12 years ago.

Located some 500m from the main house the cabin is only accessed by foot thru the paddocks. It can be seen in the landscaper as a small sculpture, only revealing its function on close inspection as the sides open up and the service tower behind become obvious.

The building realizes many dreams for the client, the architect and the craftsmen, a collaboration relishing the process of making.

Design Architect: Rob Brown, Caseybrown architecture

Project Architect: Antje Mahler, Caseybrown architecture

Interiors: Caroline Casey, Caseybrown architecture

Master craftsman: Jeffery Broadfield, Mark Preston

Builder: Pip Smith; Smith and Primmer

Engineers: Adam Cameron, Canterlever Engineers

Photography: Andrew Loiteron

Awards

Design Anthology - Winner Residential Class 1 - New Building - Permanent Camping II

2022 Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies International Architecture Award

2022 INDE Honorable Mention

2021 Australian Timber Award - Residential Class 1 - New Building - Permanent Camping II

watch ‘inspired architecture Permanent Camping 2’ only on shelter.stream