The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
Hobart architects Taylor and Hinds have won a prestigious national award for their work with the Aboriginal Land Council.
The project, known as The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna, was the joint winner of the House in a Heritage Context category at the Houses Awards, held in Melbourne on Friday.
Victorian firm Wowowa Architecture also won this category for its project, Borland Crossman House.
In its citation, the jury noted how The Homestead Renewal offers a compelling model for engaging with post-settlement heritage and its complex history at a time when Australia’s built environment professions are confronting the legacies of colonial violence.
They said The Homestead at Wybalenna was constructed in stages from the late 19th Century, comprising a Victorian-era farmhouse, a brick maid’s quarters and kitchen arranged around a brick courtyard, with remedial works focused on a kitchen annex added in the early 20th century.
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The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
Set within the former Wybalenna Aboriginal Settlement on Flinders Island, the building occupies a place of profound significance to Palawa people, the jury said, as an Aboriginal mission and a recognised site of genocide.
“Rather than restoring the building to a singular historical moment, the project adopts a carefully considered process of subtraction,” they said.
“The selective removal of accumulated layers reveals deeper histories and strengthens the building’s role as a place of truth-telling and healing.
“Salvaged and repurposed materials reinforce an approach grounded in environmental responsibility and care for Country.
“In doing so, the homestead renewal demonstrates how heritage practice can move beyond the conservation of fabric alone to support truth-telling, cultural renewal and healing.”
The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
The Homestead at Wybalenna also won a heritage award at this year’s Tasmanian Architecture Awards.
Queensland architect John Ellway won Houses’ Australian House of the Year prize for the Half Light House, an “ingenious transparent extension” to the rear of a Brisbane timber cottage surrounding a central, shaded pool. It also won the award for House Alteration and Addition Over 200 Square Metres.
Houses magazine editor and Houses Awards jury chair Alexa Kempton said privacy, sanctuary and the central role of gardens were common design narratives seen among the winning homes.
She said economic and environmental uncertainty was undoubtedly shaping briefs, and many of this year’s winners revealed that clients want their homes to be a place of respite, comfort and human connection — a place to unplug from a hyper-connected world.
The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna. Picture: Adam Gibson
“The economic realities of the industry are also reflected in the scale of these homes,” she said.
“The awarded projects have been built with restraint and longevity in mind.
“Rather than building homes that are much larger than occupants need or building to the extremities of the block, architects have instead embraced the surrounding landscapes and minimised the impact of the home on the site.”
Ms Kempton said many of these homes underscore the central role that gardens play in domestic life; centralising landscape and turning in, with private garden views.
“Several projects are built with strong consideration for the surrounding bushland, becoming places that make occupants feel safe in sprawling landscapes,” she said.
A gallery of the winning homes can be viewed on the Houses Awards website.