Peek inside this secluded rural Australian retreat by Alexander Symes, in sync with nature

Alexander Symes Architect, fuelled by a strong sustainable architecture mission, is included in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024 line-up – our listing designed to highlight exciting emerging practices in the architecture world. This is an Australian studio rooted in an environmentally friendly approach, from the founding principles of each project to its final finishing touches. Designs such as Pepper Tree Passive House and Upside Down Akubra House were conceived to protect biodiversity while offering striking aesthetics and an intriguing residential experience.

Who: Alexander Symes Architect

Architect Alexander Symes founded his namesake practice in 2014 with a vision to challenge the current status quo in sustainability in architecture, pushing and challenging the field's boundaries. With a ‘hands-on’ approach and a speciality in delivering passive homes that don't impact their context negatively, the practice aims to create residential design with a purpose.

‘On a macro level, this ensures we contribute to protecting biodiversity and providing a future-proofed housing stock,’ says Symes, ‘while on a micro level providing a healthy and resilient home for our clients in the changing climate.’ With this in mind, it is arguably only natural that the environment would be the studio’s biggest influence. Keeping context and nature at the forefront of its decisions, the practice enjoys working with bio-based construction and existing materials and suppliers. The result is buildings with a natural feel and a reduced carbon footprint.

What: Upside Down Akubra House

Set firmly off the beaten track in rural Australia, Alexander Symes Architect’s Upside Down Akubra House lays low in the heart of New South Wales. This off-grid home settles into its surrounding, remote landscape blending seamlessly into the horizon. Its defining factor is its sweeping skillion roof, which took its shape from the broad rim of an Akubra hat and its perfect dimensions for providing shade and shelter from the region's extreme temperatures. Making use of the local climate's near-year-round sunshine, the building is fully sustained by solar power, while the roof's slope and shape help to funnel and collect rainwater.

The plot offers impressive 360-degree views, nestled in the middle of a bull paddock, on top of a gently sloping hill above a dry creek bed. A grove of eucalyptus frames the expansive panorama of ‘Yella-Rock’ to the south, and ‘Hanging-Rock’ to the east, making for an ideal secluded sanctuary for the clients. Living spaces are positioned across the home's perimeter, with the kitchen and lounge lapping up easterly views, while bedrooms are placed behind them. A compact service core sits at the heart of the house, protected from the extreme weather conditions of this remote site.

Why: Wallpaper* Architects Directory

Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 24th edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – 20 young studios from Australia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, the UK, the USA, with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.

alexandersymes.com