From the architect:

Set in the picturesque foothills of Mount Mangana in Southern Bruny Island Tasmania, the Knights Rest Room forms a part of a collection of small outbuildings.

Delicately placed above the moss-covered earth, Knights Rest creates a beacon within the darkened Tasmanian bushland that draws guests to its warmth for a rewarding, pleasant experience.

Knights Rest provides restroom facilities that enhance & provide an additional experience that weaves into pre-existing cultural and public opportunities that are already provided on The Bruny Island Long Weekend, such as the delicate consideration of locally sourced food, exclusive opportunity to explore the 100-acre property in the foothills of Mount Mangana that home some of Bruny Island’s 150 species of birds and exposure to some of Bruny’s 60+ local artists.

Knights Rest sits strong within the bushland whilst blending into the dark shadows created by the native trees. The clean-cut glazing and cladding contrast provide enhanced views out of the building whilst providing an opportunity to mirror the foliage of the bushland. The frosted polycarbonate cladding on the alternate external walls blends these two concepts, stretching the warm light at night from the building into the dark bushland whilst providing a soft wash of greenery into the spaces in the daytime.

The evolving brief for the project settled on an equal balance of one private cubicle located to the rear of the building with minimal exposure to the bushland & one public cubicle visually exposed to maximise exposure to provide users with an option based on their level of comfort.

The construction methodology & form was driven by the need for the project to be an owner builder project. This provided the opportunity to explore, test and research material and construction ideas in a two-way process with the client. The owner-builder craftsmanship is evident in daylight but any defects are softened into the warmth of the interior in the dusk when Knights Rest comes to life.

PDA Planners were engaged to provide professional advice on the siting of the project concerning local flora and fauna, any potential impacts to native wildlife and/or established native trees. This enabled Foundation Technology to design, supply & install the mega anchor foundation system, this was integral to reduce site time, cost & minimise disturbance to the site under the tight time frame between scheduled bookings.

Doyle Soil Consulting refined a waste design suitable for the composting toilets ventilated by solar power. The materials and construction methodology enabled a reduction in sub-trades to minimise overall site disturbance and cost.

The unforeseen benefits provided by the evolving brief expose the users to rare Tasmanian landscape art by Winifred Knights Landscape Artist that compliments the outlook from the building. Rare Tasmanian timbers & hand made Tasmanian ceramics by We Ponder Interiors. The design and construction of Knights Rest has provided the owner/client with the confidence and developed skills to progress and take on small additional projects on the site that otherwise felt daunting.

PDA Planners were engaged to provide professional advice on the siting of the project in relation to local flora and fauna, a ny potential impacts to native wildlife and/or established native trees, this enabled Foundation Technology to design, supply & install the mega anchor foundation system, this was integral to reduce site time, cost & minimise disturbance to the site under the tight time frame between scheduled bookings. Doyle Soil Consulting refined a waste design suitable for composting toilets, ventilated by solar power. The materials and construction methodology enabled a reduction in sub trades to minimise site disturbance and cost. Southern Forest farm products supplied the celery top flooring and ceiling lining, hand made lighting by We Ponder / Ian Clare Ceramic Artist, and clay extraction from Mega Anchor Installation to be reused by Kate Morton Ceramic Artist on Bruny Island.