Amongst the Eucalypts Project: Exploring the Balance Between Nature and Protection in Forests

Living Among the Eucalypt Canopies

Perched high among the eucalypt canopies in New South Wales, a holiday home emerges like an “eagle’s nest,” harmonizing with a serene natural landscape. The Amongst the Eucalypts project, designed by Jason Gibney Design Workshop, is a study in the relationship between humans and nature, particularly in fire-prone areas. The house offers a model for living in the forest in a way that respects its volatile environment, while creating a space that embraces nature without exerting control over it.

Client Vision and Design Challenges

The clients’ requirements presented an apparent contradiction: seeking both a refuge and a dialogue with nature. They wanted an experience close to camping, fully immersed in the environment, while also needing protection from its unpredictability. They also desired spaces that could gather family and friends, without sacrificing moments of solitude and privacy.

Balancing Openness and Privacy

The architectural design responded to this challenge through a careful study of the balance between privacy and openness to nature. The house is elevated behind the tree line on sloping terrain, following the natural contours of the hills. Its split design creates intimate and private moments while maintaining a quiet dialogue with the surrounding views, as noted by the jury of the New South Wales Architecture Awards.

The home neither dominates its surroundings nor withdraws from them; instead, it extends to observe and engage simultaneously in the forest’s beauty, offering a unique experience of interacting with nature without displacing it from the center of attention.

Building Materials and Integration with Nature

The material choices in the project reflect the realities of construction in fire-prone forest areas. Plywood, lightweight cladding, and metals were carefully selected to provide a durable and practical texture that harmonizes with the remote environment. These materials offer essential fire protection while minimizing the need for ongoing maintenance, and over time they acquire a natural beauty influenced by environmental factors, giving the building a distinctive character rather than relying on constant human intervention. More details on Material Datasheets can guide similar projects.

Flexibility and Openness: The Philosophy of Temporariness

What sets this project apart is its embrace of the concept of temporariness. The operable façade allows the house to open and close toward nature, transforming the relationship between interior and exterior into a dynamic experience.

The flexible interior layout and outdoor bathrooms further reinforce this approach, drawing inspiration from camping, where boundaries between inside and outside become negotiable rather than fixed. Through this flexibility, the architecture reflects a lifestyle adapted to seasonal changes and natural rhythms, emphasizing a living experience that is responsive and deeply integrated with its surrounding environment.

Architectural Recognition and Environmental Responsibility

This house was built by Midcoast Construction on Worimi land and received a Commendation in the Residential Architecture category at the 2025 New South Wales Architecture Awards. It was also recognized in the Sustainable Architecture category of the National Architecture Awards Program. The jury praised the design team for creating a home that addresses the pressing question: how can one build responsibly in fire-prone environments?

Photography by Justin Alexander captures the home’s unique location, showing it nestled among the eucalypts, not floating above them, nor buried within the forest, but perfectly harmonized with its surroundings.

Design in the Face of Climate Challenges

Amid worsening climate change and increasing fire seasons in Australia, the Amongst the Eucalypts project offers more than a visual experience. It demonstrates that building in forests can balance immersion in nature with protection from its hazards.

The home serves as proof of the potential of conscious design to create spaces for refuge and contemplation, where inhabitants can engage with the natural landscape while enjoying comfort and safety, even under the most extreme conditions.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

While the Amongst the Eucalypts project provides a clear example of integrating a home with nature and demonstrating how architectural spaces can interact with fire-prone environments, certain reservations emerge regarding long-term sustainability and the operational flexibility of the façade. Although the chosen materials are relatively fire-resistant and require minimal maintenance, reliance on operable façades may necessitate regular monitoring to ensure optimal performance, especially under harsh weather conditions.

Additionally, the focus on creating continuous openness with nature may not be practical in all locations, as it requires a careful balance between safety and privacy, a challenge that could be difficult to replicate in larger-scale projects or more complex environments. Nevertheless, the project offers a framework for learning and inspiration, particularly in managing challenging terrain and designing multifunctional spaces, allowing architects to explore how to integrate the natural environment within a flexible and responsive architectural concept.