New South Wales, Australia
Category: Sustainable Houses
Year: 2026
Architects: Cameron Anderson Architects
Lead Architect: Cameron Anderson
Design Team: Cameron Anderson, Gregor Tait, and Emily Wallace
Landscape Architect: Susie Munro-Ross
Landscape Architects: ED Landscapes
Contractor: Penney Constructions Pty Ltd.
Client: Private
Photographers: Amber Creative
Sapling at Rosby is a contemporary, off-grid, art-based, farm stay building that respects the existing suite of earth buildings on a working property in Mudgee, NSW, Australia. The historic dairy farm was taken over by Kay and Gerald Norton-Knight in 1982, who established a vineyard while raising four daughters in the homestead. A new award-winning, rammed-earth cellar door and gallery was built on the property in 2020, and the new farm stay building takes many cues from the existing, contemporary structure.
Sapling at Rosby is an art-based, farm stay experience and features a regular rotation of works by Australian Artists. The new building has been developed by Kay and Gerry’s daughter, Amber Norton-Knight and her husband and Architect, Cameron Anderson, who both joined in part ownership of the property in 2021.
The roof of Sapling rises to salute the vineyard, a formal gesture of recognition to where it all started, while also welcoming visitors arriving from the parking area and opening up the building to the distant valley views beyond. The three steel portal frames reference the 3 owners of the property, while the rammed earth walls respect the alignment and materiality of the historic earth buildings.
Since 2010, Rosby has been home to an annual Sculpture exhibition and a calendar of art workshops. The new building unites these art functions, displaying a rotating calendar of Australian Artists allowing visitors to enjoy the gallery-like space alongside commanding views over the vineyard through the distant valley beyond. The building also subtly refers to the history of the vineyard & the family who run it.
Each Artist who is featured is invited to a complimentary stay during the course of their exhibition, which typically is changed every season. For the launch and initial exhibition, the building features works by Jordy Kerwick, Luke Sciberras, Vanessa Stockard, Brooke Dalton, Paul Bacon and Michael Ferris. Sapling at Rosby is located in Sapling Gully, a historic valley referenced in numerous Henry Lawson stories.
The building is entirely off-grid, relying on 8.8kw of solar panels with 18.8kw battery storage and 43,000L rainwater storage servicing the building and bushfire requirements. Large overhangs shade the Northern and Western facades, while new trees further shade the low western sun in summer. All timber used for the building was sustainably sourced Spotted Gum hardwood, which will grey over time.
Spotted gum windows and doors were all manufactured locally, and high-level operable louvers and operable windows can be opened at night for night purging via natural ventilation. The insulated rammed earth was constructed by our builder, Penney Constructions, our neighbour who lives less than 2km from the site. creating a very low embodied energy building. Thermal mass is incorporated through rammed earth and polished concrete slab, and this is managed via opportunities for natural ventilation.
