Location
Apslawn, Tasmania
Client
Brown Family Wine Group
Year
2022
Images
Video
Adam Gibson & Renee Hodskiss
Jesse Hunniford
Land of
Oyster Bay Tribe
+
Aldanmark
Castellan Consulting
Anstie Constructions
Simon Currant
David Qoun & Associate
RED Sustainability Consultants
Cova
Green Building Surveying
Devil's Corner Cellar Door
A distinct timber-clad lookout and a newly expanded cellar door create a unique tourism experience on Tasmania’s eastern coast.
Situated along the Tasman Highway, stretching out over eucalypts and with views across the Freycinet Peninsula and Moulting Lagoon, lies one of Tasmania’s largest wineries, Devil’s Corner. Our original collaboration with Brown Brothers in 2015 resulted in a highly successful tourism destination — a discrete cellar door, a food market, and unique lookout — that echoes the region’s traditional rural settlements.
Designed to complement the existing buildings, the new additions were completed in late 2021 and accommodate the winery’s growing number of visitors with an all-weather courtyard, an immersive tasting area, expanded local produce kitchens, and a sunken cellar, Devil’s Corner’s new home of wine and food masterclasses, private functions, and exclusive events.
Strong, settled geometry
As with the first iteration of Devil’s Corner’s design, the additions retain the original intent of a village, a cluster of distinct spaces that complement the tones and narrative of the striking landscape.
The courtyard’s open-air feel is complemented by its transparent roof and walls, which blur the boundaries between the outdoor and indoor spaces. The walls can slide open to connect visitors to the environment and views or remain closed to provide shelter and warmth from the region’s unpredictable weather.
The weathered Tasmanian Oak exterior and Tasmanian Yellow Gum decking are contrasted by the interior’s warm Tasmanian Oak finishes.
Views over the Hazards
The lookout has been designed to reflect the wine tasting process, showcasing the subtle ways in which the landscape can be appreciated through three unique viewing spaces: the Sky, the Horizon; and the Tower, offering expansive perspectives across each compass point and the Hazard Mountains beyond.
Considered design for future growth
To fit a limited budget, our approach centred on creating a tourism experience that, through strong geometric elements, was simple, visually enticing, and flexible for future growth — allowing the cellar door to adapt and repurpose rather than demolish. We are pleased that these distinct designs add to the region’s narrative and are happy that our initial exploration of the project’s possibilities resulted in the addition of the now iconic Devil’s Corner lookout.
DEVIL'S CORNER
CELLAR DOOR
Stripped-back Georgian heritage and specialist stonemasonry.
A sympathetic restoration shaped by modern tastes.
Contrast and balance, tradition and modernity. Just what a family home needs. We responded to Symmons Plains’ significance in Tasmania’s history while curating a contemporary home for the new custodians - a family of seven.
We aimed to reveal the richness of the stories that came before. Colonist John Arndell Youl built Symmons Plains in 1839 with a structure crafted using early Australian settlement techniques. Youl famously introduced the brown trout to Australia. His family lived at Symmons for seven generations until it was bought in 2011. When we demolished the building’s original concrete, it revealed an eclectic mix of bed springs and old fencing added for reinforcement; a history of its own. It felt exciting to arrive at an answer for open, contemporary living within a building essentially the antithesis of that.
2020
Tasmanian Architecture Awards
Colorbond Steel Architecture - Commendation
2020
Tasmanian Architecture Awards
Residential Architecture
Location
Apslawn, Tasmania
Client
Brown Family Wine Group
Year
2022
Images
Adam Gibson & Renee Hodskiss
Land of
Oyster Bay Tribe
+
Aldanmark
Castellan Consulting
Anstie Constructions
Simon Currant
David Qoun & Associate
RED Sustainability Consultants
Cova
Green Building Surveying
Strong, settled geometry
As with the first iteration of Devil’s Corner’s design, the additions retain the original intent of a village, a cluster of distinct spaces that complement the tones and narrative of the striking landscape.
The courtyard’s open-air feel is complemented by its transparent roof and walls, which blur the boundaries between the outdoor and indoor spaces. The walls can slide open to connect visitors to the environment and views or remain closed to provide shelter and warmth from the region’s unpredictable weather.
The weathered Tasmanian Oak exterior and Tasmanian Yellow Gum decking are contrasted by the interior’s warm Tasmanian Oak finishes.
Views over the Hazards
The lookout has been designed to reflect the wine tasting process, showcasing the subtle ways in which the landscape can be appreciated through three unique viewing spaces: the Sky, the Horizon; and the Tower, offering expansive perspectives across each compass point and the Hazard Mountains beyond.
Considered design for future growth
To fit a limited budget, our approach centred on creating a tourism experience that, through strong geometric elements, was simple, visually enticing, and flexible for future growth — allowing the cellar door to adapt and repurpose rather than demolish. We are pleased that these distinct designs add to the region’s narrative and are happy that our initial exploration of the project’s possibilities resulted in the addition of the now iconic Devil’s Corner lookout.
