The Pheasant

A boutique eatery staged in a complex context, responding to a multifaceted brief with layers of significance. The Pheasant will engage the local community, providing opportunities and celebrating the unique qualities of Pheasant creek. A community resource to encourage interaction and provide a much needed amenity, whilst attracting visitors from greater Melbourne and inviting them into the community.

Presenting increased opportunity to local teenagers, this tertiary training facility will serve as a regional case study and national benchmark to tertiary education. Capable of adaption, the Pheasant responds to the regions extreme variance in climate. An environment that has the ability to maximise the potential benefits each extreme.

To be built on a sensitive site in rural Victoria, this restaurant is driven by concerns endemic to its place, taking on a physicality symbolic of the region.

Engaging its landscape and minimising visual impact whilst creating an iconic form unique to the region.A space designed to remain intimate for small numbers, yet be able to accommodate large parties and functions. Providing captured views, internal spaces are only revealed by movement through the structure.This partly sunken sculptural composition is sympathetic to the landscape, providing thermal mass to the building and acoustic separation from the road and adjoining residences.Located in Pheasant Creek Victoria, so called due to the abundance of lyre birds, known as Pheasants to European settlers.

The lyre bird, famous for its art of imitation along with its spectacular tail feathers, informed the design through the adoption of this notion of mimicry.Engaging with the historical narrative of the site, while drawing attention the richness of local flora and fauna.