Glenn Murcutt's bushland house is zinc-panelled to protect against wildfires. Set in a patch of dense coastal bushland on the Palm Beach peninsula just north of Sydney, this weekend residence by architect Glenn Murcutt is armoured in blackened zinc panels to defend it from wildfires.
Nestled into the base of a sandstone outcrop, the two-storey house is surrounded by shrubbery and a forest of gum, oak and blueberry ash trees. The building has been angled to preserve as many of these trees as possible – the trunk of once specimen even extends through a gap left in the roof structure for it – and its windows project outwards in places to frame the best views.
It took a decade for the project, which completed in September 2016, to reach fruition. Murcutt was originally approached by the clients while they were living in London and planning their move back to Australia.
Pearltrees Architecture. Habitat écologique.