Glenn Murcutt at Moonlight Head
I recently had the privilege of staying in a Glenn Murcutt designed home. It was so wonderful to visit the home and experience the Master's crafting of space and light.
At Moonlight Head, 70kms west of Apollo Bay, there are five Glenn Murcutt & Wendy Lewin designed eco-lodges. Built between 2006- 2009, the lodges sit neatly in a row on a 40.5 hectare property, and are like five fingers stretching out to the sea.
The drive to get the lodges is somewhat precarious in the wet weather, as you wind through the Otways Forest and up an unsealed road. The first sight of the lodges is misconceiving as they appear to be small lodges. However when you enter, you realise that they are long buildings with four bedrooms in each.
The internal fit out is of high end standard, with German appliances, Italian bathroom fittings, and handmade Savoy king sized beds. There are beautiful details such as 400mm deep stainless steel window ledges, pivot hinged internal doors, and externally, angled brick wall ends. But the main stand out design feature is of course the saw cut roof. Working like a design grid, the north facing windows repeat approximately every three metres - beginning at the garage, repeating through the house, in each bedroom and then right down to the master bedroom. Not only does the saw cut roof give the external form a distinct character but the interiors are like they are carved out or cave-like. The repetition of the saw cut roof is best experienced in the long hallway which connects the four bedrooms, where the incoming light provides a gentle rhythm of space and light.
