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A mountain idyll

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Architect Helen Mathew has come up with an innovative, solar efficient design for a steep block.

When David and Leigh first set eyes on this glorious site overlooking the town of Bright and the Ovens Valley in Victoria, they quickly realised it was the perfect place to build their dream home. "We had fallen in love with the Sylvan Mountain, stunning town and verdant valley views from this rather difficult site and saw the potential, with intelligent architectural input, to exploit this to the utmost," says David.

The couple approached local architect Helen Mathew, who also saw great potential in the site. The 'difficulty' referred to by David, and which Helen was also more than aware of, was the steepness of the site. "The challenge was to design the house to suit the slope, provide direct street access, orientate the building to the north to maximise solar access, and to enjoy the views of the valley," says Helen.

The contours of the block run along a north-easterly axis, so in order to get the desired north-facing windows, the front of the house had to be positioned high up off the ground. Steel framing was used to support the house and, because of the high sub-floor frame, bracing the building properly was very important. "The builder resolved a lot of these issues to ensure the base was rigid and structurally sound," says Helen.

The result is a comfortable, solar-efficient house that integrates both design and sustainability features in a seamless fashion. On sunny days sunlight streams in through the double-glazed living room windows and the warmth is stored in the tiled concrete floor. In other areas carpet covers the concrete base to create an even cosier feel.

There are stunning silver ash radial-sawn timber boards on the exterior of the house and in the entry lobby, and all internal doors are timber framed.

For David and Leigh, the whole project has come together in the most perfect way imaginable. "We were more than happy with the processes, communication levels and outcome," they say.