The Little Big House is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Wellington, high above Hobart. At 450 meters above sea level, set within a forested landscape, this house encounters snow in the winter months.

The siting of the residence is mindful of its context; positioned close to and perpendicular to the curvilinear road.

The Big house, on a vacant lot between established houses and gardens, is defensive and diagrammatic.
Photography: Ben Hosking
Tucked carefully between cadastral constraints and a magnificent birch tree, the footprint has been kept deliberately small. The dwelling is stacked on two levels which step to accommodate the undulating terrain.

It?s just a box. A clean volume with two exceptions; a service core and an entry air-lock. Walls, floors, and ceilings in the main space are treated uniformly, in white, to create a simple light interior. The entry, kitchen, and bathroom spaces are designed to be deliberate, theatrically small and are finished in black, in contrast to the larger white volume.
The house is designed to be intensely private. Given the cool climate, the house has two essential strategies ? to hold the heat and find the light.
Photography: Megan Baynes
Apertures are purposefully positioned to create pure window types opening to either garden, sky or shadow.

The Little Big House is clad in vertical unfinished timber continuing traditions of local vernacular building in Southern Tasmania. The front door entry is set back and this timber rem...