Hugh Strange Architects

Nestled beneath a large Eucalyptus tree, the project provides a small studio space for painting at the end of a long garden. The studio is in very close proximity to the tree, and so the foundations are designed in order to minimise impact on the roots. Six small steel piles support a steel frame lifted slightly above the earth, mean no digging or concrete were required to the ground works. Above this the building has a wooden structure, with two stud wall and the floor joists clad in timber, while the other walls and roof are formed in an exposed Douglas Fir frame. The rainwater is collected from the roof and channelled to the ground beneath the studio to supply the roots, compensating for the building’s footprint.

The space is entered adjacent to the tree, through sliding doors that open to reveal the centrally located timber column. Inside, with painting desk at one end, and storage and brush washing area at the other, the closeness of the tree to the interior characterises the internal space.