Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows

The pictures simply do not do justice to the view from this incredible set cantilevered constructions, jutting out from the core structure of the house and seeming to hover in space. JCB architects took their inspiration for this twisting, turning and thrusting form from a fallen log with its associated branches.

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Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows side angle
Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows view

With only thin clear glass between the patio and the world below, one gets a sense of standing on the edge of the void. In another thrust deck area sits a stunning nearly-edgeless exterior swimming pool – all traces of support are clearly not visible in these pictures nor to visitors.

Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows kitchen
Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows living room

The experience of moving through this home is intentionally staged at each step of the way, from the winding entryway to the expansive views exposed once inside. The incredible living and gathering areas thrust out in the cantilevers also serve to provide privacy to other interior areas.

Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows pool

A combination of weathered wood and dark paint help bring the house back down to Earth – blending it with the surrounding natural landscape. Hidden beams hold up some truly suspended parts of the building while thin columns support others thrust sections. However, the more modest side of the home contains the entrance so as not to spoil the surprise for guests or the view for passers by.

Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows yard

“The undulating landscape at Cape Schanck is primarily a combination of cleared grass dunes (locally known as the Cups region) and expansive areas of dense Coastal Heath and Ti-tree shrub. The site is a designated wildfire zone and prior to the landscape being significantly cleared by early European farmers the area was inhabited by local aborigines.”

“On our first site visit we discovered the remnants of a hollowed out burnt log. This informed a starting point for an architectural exploration for the interiors and exterior where the form of the hollowed log suggested possibilities for an architectural solution.”

Cape Schanck House Jackson Clements Burrows from below

“This house engages with the landscape through manipulation of form, material and colour. The weathered black vertical cladding profile references the undercroft structure of the Ti-tree and upper level form extends from the hill at ground level rising to a ridge which then descends to the west. At distance, the cranked profile of the form responds to the undulating profile of the surrounding ti-tree scrub and immerses the building within its surrounds.”