Bittern Cabin by Nic Morgante

Homes

Dec 20

Bittern Cabin by Nic Morgante

Inside an Architect’s Own Cabin Nestled in the Forest

What happens when an architect's own cabin is designed to recede into the trees? Located within a low-lying forest in Bittern on the Mornington Peninsula, this compact retreat by Nic Morgante sits quietly beneath dense canopies, shaped as much by restraint as by the land itself.

Set within a dense lowland forest on the Mornington Peninsula, Bittern Cabin is a compact retreat designed to feel quietly embedded within its bushland setting. Approached via a gravel track that slips from suburban edge into seclusion, the cabin is carefully nestled deep within the site to balance tranquillity with bushfire constraints. Raised lightly above the ground, a gabled living volume sits behind a cantilevered concrete veranda that defines the threshold between the architecture and untouched landscape. Charred timber wraps the exterior as a protective, recessive shell, while operable timber shutters allow the building to respond manually to light, weather and time of day. Inside, a warm palette of blackbutt timber, stainless steel and greys softens the experience, creating a calm interior that encourages a tactile, hands-on relationship with place.

‘The simplicity is in the kind of analogue nature of the shutters, which is this kind of skin of the building that can respond to the site. As the light kind of tracks through the trees, you can manage the light through the shutters, and they act as blinds during the night as well. You're linked to the weather and the time of day, and it forces you to be in tune with your environment and gives you a mechanism to manage the building with your two hands.’

— Nic Morgante, Architect, Nic Morgante

Architecture by Nic Morgante, built by Dynes Eco Build, landscape by SÖNNESCAPES.

Produced by Simple Dwelling, filmed, edited and photographed by Anthony Richardson, words by Anthony Richardson.