Our semester 1 project called for fulfilling the brief of an international competition held in honour of celebrating 100 years of Australia's capital, Canberra. Lake on the Lodge sought to provide a place of residence for the PM including a private residence, guest quarters, multiple function spaces and service requirements. The project was then furthered by a detailed tectonic investigation into a particular moment in the scheme that portrayed an idea prevalent in the entire project.

The design scheme explores the culture of the Ngunnawal people – the original caretakers of the land upon which now stands our capital. The meeting place of the tribes corresponds with the migration of the Bogong Moth, a main source of their nutrition. Applying this culture to the site specifically, the design optimizes the conservation and seasonal acknowledgement of the Button Wrinklewort, a flowering plant endangered in its own habitat on the Northeastern edge of the site. The seasonal flowering of the species, from October to April, defines the journey from the jetty arrival through the site.

The histories of the Ngunnawal people reveal their ‘caretaking’ treatment of the land. The region possesses a natural amphitheater form; a form which is applied as a function to conserve the slope on site.  The residence and the function areas utilize this concept to develop both public and private spaces.