Blackwood House - An award winning rural retreat on the North Coast of Tasmania

This passive solar home blends Japanese minimalism with biophilic design principles. The result is a high performing yet relaxed bush retreat.

The Vision: Blackwood House is an award-winning rural retreat on a steep, rugged bush block on Tasmania’s North Coast. The home blends Japanese minimalism with clear passive solar principles to create a highly efficient, relaxed living space. By slightly twisting the building's footprint against the site's contours, the design secures a perfect northerly aspect—capturing valley and ocean views while maximizing natural winter heat gain. The material palette directly reflects the surrounding forest, allowing the home to sit quietly within its terrain.

The Execution: The build focuses heavily on thermal performance and durable, low-maintenance materials. Burnished concrete floors, deepened with a charcoal oxide, act as a thermal battery to absorb and slowly release passive solar heat throughout the day. To meet strict bushfire requirements without losing a seamless look, we paired BAL-rated Silvertop Ash shiplap with Colorbond Custom Orb cladding. Complete with high-performance double glazing and a single, high-efficiency Nectre N60 wood heater as the only backup heat source, the house serves as a highly practical benchmark for low-energy bush living.