Nestled in the dense Australian bush, this bathroom is a uniquely modern take on a traditional outhouse.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
Designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, Kangaroo Valley Outhouse services a small cabin located 30 metres up a narrow pathway through the bush.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
Through thoughtful engineering and use of sustainable technologies like natural ventilation, solar-powered lighting, and greywater recycling and septic tanks, the architects created a structure that offers a maximum sensation of being one with nature – with a minimal impact on the environment.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
Mounted atop a set of well-concealed columns, the outhouse almost hovers over the ground. But despite that seeming separation from the forest floor, which makes the bathroom easy to demount, the design compounds the user’s connection to the greenery around.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
Elusive in daylight, the reflective walls of the bathroom mirror the surrounding greenery and only the subtle lines of the edges of the cubic shape reveal its unobtrusive presence. The inside of the bathroom was fitted with glass making the one-way-mirror glass walls see-through from the inside. This means uninterrupted views of the lush landscape around – and a liberating sensation of relaxing immersion in nature.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
But it is at night time when this space capitalises on its incredible potential for privacy. The walls become entirely transparent, opening up the interiors and merging the bathroom’s fittings with the dense foliage around.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
This resulting sense of vulnerability is balanced by all the necessary creature comforts, including a stand-alone bathtub. That makes Kangaroo Valley Outhouse a perfect place to leave all inhibitions behind, relax, and reflect – and celebrate the connection with the natural world around.