Ball-Eastaway House: Glenn Murcutt's floating Australian home passes to new custodian

Lynne Eastaway, 77, is preparing to pass on custodianship of the Ball-Eastaway House, an iconic stilt-mounted residence near Sydney designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Glenn Murcutt. Built in 1983 for Eastaway and artist Sydney Ball, the house floats above a sandstone rock shelf on 14 steel columns, minimizing its impact on the landscape. Murcutt's design philosophy, inspired by Aboriginal wisdom to 'touch the earth lightly,' lifts the structure to allow air circulation and wildlife shelter. The house, made of corrugated iron with hardwood floors, includes two verandas and a gallery-style wall for Ball's paintings. It received heritage listing from the New South Wales state government in February. Murcutt, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2002, is cited as a pioneer of modern sustainable architecture. Architect Francis Kéré, another Pritzker winner, credits Murcutt's work as an influence. Eastaway describes living there as a 'wake-up call to living life,' emphasizing harmony with nature.