Adriano Pupilli Architects

Casa Manyana responds to the challenges of rebuilding in bushfire-prone landscapes.

Designed for the architect’s own family, whose home narrowly survived the devastating 2019–20 NSW South Coast bushfires. However a cabin on the site was damaged and needed to be rebuilt for the growing family’s needs. The project asks how rebuilding might occur in a manner that is both resilient and affordable. It further explores how such a system might inspire and delight, while being adaptable and replicable by others facing similar circumstances.

Located within the front yard of an existing two-bedroom cottage, the curved form complements the landscape. Screened and articulated openings provide cross-ventilation, shadow-play and framed views while protecting from embers. An entry deck to the east captures canopy views and cooling sea-breezes.

Internally, the space is both generous and lofty, honest and intimate. Containing a living space, kitchenette, mezzanine with bathroom below, timber linings trace the curving forms of expressed portal frames, the logic of assembly is part of daily life.

Swipe to the end for a timelapse of frame assembly completed in one day.

On Yuin Country
Engineer
Assembly team Adriano Pupilli
Prefabrication
Photos