The residence was constructed several years after the devastating Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, which destroyed the original home and much of the surrounding landscape. The new design embodies a deep sense of spatial and environmental connection, with a focus on textural materiality. A carefully selected palette of natural and tactile materials creates a harmonious dialogue between the built environment and the surrounding landscape. Functionality is seamlessly integrated into the design, ensuring the home is both beautiful and practical.

Inspired by the natural environment, the off-grid home overlooks a spring-fed pond and a natural bush amphitheater. It is defined by three interconnecting pavilions; one main central pavilion and two mirrored side pavilions offering space to retreat. Rammed earth walls reference the hues and solidity of the earth and floors, while ceilings are lined in timbers recycled from the site. Grounded by a deep connection to nature, Kinglake Residence is a home among the gum trees – a home that connects people and the environment.

Kinglake Residence is located among the lush eucalyptus forests of Victoria’s Yarra Ranges, on Taungurung and Wurundjeri lands. The area is rich in biodiversity, surrounded by large tracts of Messmate Stringybark, Yellow Box, Manna and Swamp Gums. The natural water course is bounded by lush tree ferns, water ferns and bracken.

This uniquely Australian forest inspired JAM Architects to design a built form that blends seamlessly with the landscape, offering protection from the elements while maintaining a strong connection to its surroundings in both spatial and tectonic senses.

The owners sought to pay homage to the original dwelling, both in scale and form. The original dwelling site was repurposed and orientated northward to achieve day round sunlight. Sitting discreetly on the 30-acre site, the residence is unseen from the road. Accessed via a long, meandering stone driveway and surrounded by trees, the low-slung building settles into the site with a quiet elegance. When siting the residence, the existing clearing was utilised, and views across the sloping site towards the creek and forest valley maintained. The opening in the bushland provides a natural vegetated amphitheatre as a backdrop, with the constant sound of cascading water from the spring-fed pond in the foreground. This pond was rejuvenated and native vegetation reinstated to improve its water quality. So successful was this rejuvenation that the pond is now habitat to a resident platypus and the endemic Pobblebonk frog. The frog’s endearing call inspired the owners to name their new home ‘Pobblebonk Lodge’

The design concept established a central pavilion with direct outlook towards the pond and the forest beyond. Flanking this central space, two additional pavilions, accessible via glazed linkways, provide self-contained accommodation. This design emphasises a strong integration with its surroundings, complemented by textural materiality and a carefully considered functional program.

The articulated pitched roof, a nod to the original dwelling that was destroyed by fire, serves to distinguish the central pavilion’s communal spaces from the more private guest wings. Internally, the ceiling maintains this form, providing dramatic volume in living spaces. A subtle disconnect between ceiling planes allows for discrete concealed lighting that accentuates this volume and suggests the sky beyond.

Large expanses of stacking sliding doors on the north façade of all three pavilions allow the interior spaces to seamlessly open to the outdoor timber decking, enabling immediate connection to the natural environment.