Caravanserai, French Island

Set on a ridgeline on French Island, this 192 square metre off-grid family home responds to a site that is disconnected from the mainland by road and unserved by public utilities or council amenities. Views extend across to Phillip Island and Bass Strait in one direction, and back toward pastoral landscapes and the French Island National Park in the other. The same openness that makes the views possible also exposes the site to fierce winds and driving rain off the Strait.

The response is a simple square courtyard form. The plan wraps living and bedroom spaces around a sheltered central courtyard, with circulation routed along the perimeter so that primary rooms look out to sea. The courtyard pulls daylight and natural ventilation deep into a building that has to be self-sustaining for power, while also giving the household a wind-protected outdoor room.

The square module suited a prefabricated build, allowing the structure to be broken down into manageable sections for transport to the island and reassembled on site. The brief was multi-generational: a family project that needed to accommodate ageing grandparents day-to-day, while also providing room for friends and extended family when the weather marooned visitors for the night.

Architect: Rowan Brown, Lai Cheong Brown. Photography: Jaime Diaz-Berrio Photography.