Peninsula House arrays a fluid profile amid an agrarian setting in coastal Australia
by Aarthi MohanAug 06, 2024
•make your fridays matter with a well-read weekend
by Jincy IypePublished on : Mar 12, 2022
A three-dimensional weave of landscape and building, this Australian residence called Colo Crossings built by Benn + Penna Architecture has been designed as a secluded, darkling shelter in the pursuit of retreat. Located 100 kilometres north-west of Sydney's central business district in Australia, the residential architecture sits atop a steep slope, within a bend above the Colo River, recessed into and willingly consumed by an unforgiving landscape chosen by the clients for its gift of privacy, to escape the city bedlam. Its dusky, refined linearity outlining the solitary containment rests in rural effortlessness brought alive by rugged ground, lush, heavy trees and bush laden mountains at a distance. “‘Isolation’ takes on a new meaning as a celebration of one's surroundings,” elaborates Andrew Penn, Director of the Sydney-based architectural and design office.
The Australian architects employed a minimal colour and material palette, as well as looped internal circulation that creates dialogue with the external topography, suggesting a cyclical passage for the occupants of the low-lying residential design that follows the east-westerly sun. With a U-shaped floor plan, the Colo Crossings house comprises three bedrooms, two washrooms and an open plan kitchen and living area that seems to "wrap its arms" around the inhabitants. The house forms periphery for viewing the cinematic terrain right from its entrance promenade, with massive glass windows and the prominent glazed central walkway that serves as a “telescope” towards the immediacy of the landscape.
The considered budget and collaboration with consultants became the perfect reason for Benn + Penna Architecture to follow an ethos of resourcefulness and retreat for the Colo Crossings residence. Construction was ingenious and capable with the employment of ready-made shipping containers and tanks, as well as exposed structural members. The existing sandstone bedrock served as a natural foundation, "which the geotechnical and structural engineers worked with to support the building in an area prone to landslides,” Benn relays. The structures of steel lay anchored into the rock, “with exposed members as an expression of the structure; designed to withstand its context for years to come,” he adds.
A tri-toned colour scheme garbs the horizontal form, integrating it further into the landscape, like how the house's black platform deck remains anchored onto the blackened rock shelf, followed by bush green shipping containers as its main volumes which are crowned with a silvered roof that enjoys “reflective kinetics” of the clouds swiftly passing. The roof is made distinct by its familiar hipped shape which peaks above the plunge, circular pool, becoming the hearth of the residence, “facilitating domestic nurture amidst the rugged terrain,” they add.
The minimal interior design channels hyyge with cold concrete floors, with the exception of a dark plywood kitchen that “nod towards the raw, untampered surrounds”. The shipping container’s ribbed metal walls and the metal roof have been doubly insulated to protect against the high diurnal range of the area. To facilitate thermal mass, a fresh concrete slab was poured into each container while multiple north facing windows bring in the sun, in conjunction to photovoltaic powered, in-slab heating.
The rural landscape coupled with bushfire regulations of the river made necessary for the Australian architecture to be idiosyncratic to its place, and integrated a self-water-collecting system to cover its own consumption. The peaked roof and water tanks become reservoirs for water, while the central pool provides protection in the event of a fire. “The quietly nestled form is in constant balance and antithesis with its rugged context; insinuating the potential for a quiet dip or defence against blaze at any point,” the architects share.
Name: Colo Crossings
Location: Colo River, NSW, Australia
Architect: Benn + Penna Architecture
Design Team: Andrew Benn, Sean Tran, Rachel Stratford
Builder: Underhill Constructions, Mountain Gum Constructions, and Craig Miller
by Anmol Ahuja Sep 05, 2025
The film by Francesca Molteni and Mattia Colombo chronicles the celebrated architect’s legacy and pioneership in green architecture through four global projects and exclusive interviews.
by Anushka Sharma Sep 04, 2025
Sameep Padora, Megha Ramaswamy and Kyle Bergman reflected on the tryst between the real and reel in a ~multilog(ue) framing human narratives and experiences in cities.
by Anushka Sharma Sep 02, 2025
From climate-responsive housing in Bangladesh to cultural infrastructure in Palestine, the 2025 award recipients celebrate architecture that honours heritage and inspires hope.
by Aarthi Mohan Sep 01, 2025
Built with local materials and geographic metaphors, the kindergarten in Cameroon provides a learning environment shaped by the climate, culture and community.
make your fridays matter
SUBSCRIBEEnter your details to sign in
Don’t have an account?
Sign upOr you can sign in with
a single account for all
STIR platforms
All your bookmarks will be available across all your devices.
Stay STIRred
Already have an account?
Sign inOr you can sign up with
Tap on things that interests you.
Select the Conversation Category you would like to watch
Please enter your details and click submit.
Enter the 6-digit code sent at
Verification link sent to check your inbox or spam folder to complete sign up process
by Jincy Iype | Published on : Mar 12, 2022
What do you think?