Here are some of the original thumbnails that I produced last week, interestingly enough several members in our team came up with similar ideas. In our group we discussed several ideas, incorporating indigenous stories into the building's form. We agreed with several design principles

- Elevating the structure from the ground, not only to increase cooling the structure by allowing wind/breeze to pass under the structure and avoid flooding in wet season, but more importantly to pay homage to the way in which aboriginal people would construct look out towers, to help fend of attacks. In this instance, the elevated structure would not only serve a cultural purpose/point of reference, it would also give residents of the house an uninterrupted 36o degree views of the surrounding landscape

- Separate the guest quarters from the main building, where the design team (us!) will reside. This is done to not only delineate living quarters (between permanent residents and guests) but to also to provide guest to embark on a 'journey' when making their way to one of 4 self contained huts. I drew inspiration from my 3m3 Minima design in which a cube-module enables guests to sleep, cook, bathe and enjoy the views/landscape

- Include water tank under the structure (shade and depth will assist in keeping water a cooler temperature compared to air temperature)

- The aboriginal people have a real affinity for the concept of embarking on a 'journey' - in this instance, guests walk from the main building, to one of 4 guest modules via elevated and shaded walk ways. Not only does the shaded walkway provide shelter from both the sun and rain, it also gives us the opportunity to fix the top side of the roof structure with photovoltaic cells. At this point, we're playing with the farthest module being located no more that 100m from the main building.

Walkways - sheltered and open

- 2 modules will be placed either side of the main building, and positioned in an S-shape, to emulate the shape of a serpent (again, a story entrenched in the aboriginal psyche)

- The shape of the main building will be in the shape of a rigid S-shape, with the roof line (in section) mirroring this effect. See sketches below. Although I'm still playing with having a roof line that silhouettes Uluru, in effect a concave form. Again, this is a reference to an iconic aboriginal landmark, which is very dear and sacred to them as a people

- Access to the building will be from within the structure - you walk under the main building and come via an internal staircase - this way, as you approach the top of the stairs and turn right, the landscape is almost 'framed' for you, with the aid of large concertina doors.

- The spine of the building will sit in a NE orientation, to maximise winds that originate from the SE. This will assist in cross ventilation

- In terms of materiality, I'm proposing mud bricks, light steel structure (avoiding thermal mass in this climate is the way to go), and the use of triple glazing and triple building envelope, 2 of which are louvre-type screens (increasing shade). I would like to create a weathered and rustic feel, to complement the landscape

The look and feel I want to create.

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I'm also playing with the idea of providing a 'grandstand' style seating area, that would double up as both stairs to the first level, as well as a seating area in which to enjoy the views, while having a glass of wine with both friends and guests

I also like the idea of a vertical garden: