Gawthorne’s Hut is one of three accommodations on ‘Wilgowrah’—a 480-acre working farm located just outside Mudgee, NSW. The hut is the newest of the three, owned by farmers Rick and Steph Gordon.
Cameron Anderson Architects designed Gawthorne’s Hut to be unique, sustainable and self-sufficient. Working with a $250,000 budget, he created a cosy 40 square metre property without sacrificing on any luxuries.
The use of galvanised iron and timber in Gawthorne’s Hut responds to the project’s budget, position, and rural context. The angled roof form references a previous hay shed on site ( destroyed by a storm in 2017), while providing optimum northern orientation for solar panels to be accommodated.
Recycled brickwork salvaged from the original cottage on site (its one remaining feature) was also integrated into the interiors.
The unadorned facade is a credit to Cameron Anderson’s clever design, that conceals all services (water and electrical infrastructure) within a large west-facing wing. Sunrises are captured through angled glazing to the east framing the secluded farmland beyond.
The property operates using a 6.6kW off grid solar system, 12kW battery storage, and offers 40,000 litres of rainwater storage.
Cameron hopes the property’s small footprint demonstrates opportunities of building smaller, efficient buildings.
The project also diversifies Wilgowrah’s traditional farming operations by providing a reliable, alternate income stream not reliant on traditional farming and weather. A tiny but mighty dwelling, that lends serious architectural kudos to this working family farm!
