Raise the roof

A spacious, resort-style estate in the Adelaide Hills with sky-high ceilings is a dream come true for this South Australian family.

- Carli Philips

Birdsong mingles with the clip-clopping of horses and the sound of motorbikes on a private track across this sprawling property in the Adelaide Hills, spanning almost 100 acres of plains about 45 minutes from the Barossa Valley, in South Australia.

Any signs of the modest shelter that occupied the pastoral land in 2016 have vanished. In its place? A contemporary home with an equestrian ring, infinity pool and recreational rooms for a family of six.

South Australian-based architecture and construction firm Glasshouse Projects had worked with the owners in the past and were brought on early to conduct an extensive site analysis to determine the optimal positioning and orientation of the home, also considering the practicalities of access to services, roads and solar movement.

"Even before we started to discuss the brief, they got us to come out," says Don Iannicelli, architect and director of Glasshouse Projects. "We drove around and looked at things that were of geographical significance, such as the dam. Our clients wanted something special and the first step involved working out the best location for the house." The result was a northerly aspect with the focal point being a majestic gum tree.