CLIFFTOP CONTAINERS
Location: Hepburn Springs
Date of Completion: 2018
A great design often requires a visionary client. And in the case of guest accommodation, Clifftop Containers, the client, developer David Pemman, was keen to explore Larsen’s idea of using shipping containers. Overlooking a gorge and located on a steep incline, the idea for these containers seemed the perfect option, given the lack of direct accessibility for traditional building methods.
These shipping containers were craned into the site and repurposed to provide four one-bedroom units. Each one of approximately 40 to 50 square metres, with two stacked above two others, these containers have been cleverly manipulated to take advantage of the views beyond and directly below. As well as replacing container doors with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, there are also glass floors that allow for impressive views of the gorge. And for those who don’t suffer vertigo, one can relax on the daybed that hovers above this floor.
Given the dimensions of each container, everything has its place. The bedroom, for example, is part of the living area, with a seating nook ‘carved’ into the space to create more room. And the kitchen and bathroom are cleverly concealed to one side. Akin to a cabin but elevated well above the terrain, each container includes a pot belly-style fireplace, with walls and ceilings lined in black stained timber, a contrast to the containers’ raw steel shells.
Larsen worked with several local artists creating wall murals that add to this unique experience. It’s certainly not a log cabin and nor are these modules a typical getaway. However, for those who aren’t afraid of heights who want to be connected to the landscape and are keen to rethink what an escape can offer, these Clifftop Containers will certainly be tempting.
Text by Stephen Crafti
