When the talented team at Teeland Architects was approached to build a home on a steep Noosa hinterland, they had no doubt they would face a handful of challenges to integrate the property into its hillside setting.

For starters, much of the landscape was inaccessible, and the part that was easy to get to had been dramatically cut and filled without the necessary retaining walls and drainage systems needed to stabilize the ground.

Yet after thoughtful planning, the firm has recently revealed their elegant design of the Tinbeerwah house. Created as an operable glass pavilion wrapped in sliding hardwood screens, the home features an elongated layout that maximizes both family time and ocean views.

"We felt there was a great opportunity to use the new house and landscape to stabilize and rehabilitate the land," notes architect David Teeland. "We designed the new house to work with the existing cuts that had been made previously, utilizing new retaining walls, drainage system and landscape to sure up and repair the ground."

"With steep hinterland sites, it is easy for the house to end up high above the natural ground, making you lose your connection to the earth. With young children, the owners were eager to be able to step from the house directly into the garden," Teeland continues to explain.

"Working with the existing levels, we were able to configure the floor plan so that the kitchen, living area, dining room, and children’s bedrooms opened directly onto garden spaces to make it easy for the kids to go outside and play."

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Green building strategies and sustainability served of great importance throughout the design. The team enabled the home to collect its own solar power and rainwater for use. For example, the wastewater from the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry areas are then treated on site for irrigation and bush regeneration.

"The long, thin rectangular plan is a design strategy that we have utilized on a number of our projects," Teeland further explains.

"On any steep site, running a long, thin building along the contours allows us to minimize the amount of cut and fill. It also ensures the building is only one room deep, which maximizes cross ventilation and natural light for the interior spaces."

Project Credits:
Architect of Record: Teeland Architects

Builder/General Contractor: JW constructions

Structural Engineering: AD Structure

Civil Engineering: SCG Consulting

Landscape Design: Cheryl Boyd