Vipp Tunnel Tasmania Guesthouse / Room 11 ArchitectsSave this picture! Adam Gibson, Courtesy of VippLodgingBruny Island, Tasmania, AustraliaArchitects: Room 11 ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:160 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2025 PhotographsPhotographs:Adam Gibson, Courtesy of VippMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Danish design brand Vipp travels to the Southern Hemisphere for the brand's newest guesthouse. Cantilevered over a sloping hill on Tasmania's Bruny Island, the architecturally daring and sustainably designed Vipp Tunnel by Hobart-based studio, Room11, balances beauty and brutalism. Featuring a series of outdoor sculptures by renowned Danish artist Lin Utzon, this ground-up property becomes a unique refuge that marries art, design, and nature.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Often referred to as 'the edge of the world', Tasmania is distinguished by its sense of otherworldliness. In this corner of the world, immersive surroundings have a grounding effect, reminding us of our connection to nature. Disembarking the small 20-minute ferry from Hobart to Bruny Island is a transportive retuning to the frequency and rhythm of the natural world. Setting the compass to 42 south of the equator, guests are greeted by a couple of rare, white wallabies roaming the vast plot of land on the north-western point of Bruny Island. Where rugged bushlands meet the ocean, the concrete structure defies gravity above a terrain punctuated by a 300-meter sea stretch with a 280 view of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel connecting Bruny Island to Tasmania's main island.Save this picture!Architecture Widely recognised for their residential, commercial, and hospitality work throughout Australia, Room11 has created a sculptural, brutalist structure dropped into the bushlands. Balancing on the edge between solid ground and open air, the Vipp Tunnel expresses a playful dialogue between concrete cubism and its organic surroundings. "On Bruny Island we have created understandable forms that do not mimic context, rather they create an intelligible form from which we can comprehend the nature of place", explains Thomas Bailey, Architect AIA, Director Room11 and continues; "It is a place where the cut of contemporary architectural thinking is starkly rendered against a raw natural context." A project three years in the making, the finished guesthouse embodies Room11's interest in craftsmanship and distinctive approach to architecture that is sensitive to landscape, detail, and materiality.Save this picture!Save this picture!In the 1,700 sq ft / 160 m2 building stretching 30 meters, wall-to-wall glass and recessed steel doors provide unobstructed views to the soulful landscape of the Tasmanian sea and mountains. Floor-to-ceiling windows and light wells imbue the space with a sense of luminosity. An atrium yard separates the main living space from the primary bed and bathroom, while at the end of the tunnel, a glass door leads to a framed terrace floating above the land showcasing an architectural finesse that underscores the sensation of being at the edge of the world. "The dramatically elongated proportions of the structure respond to the landscape by purposely framing the D'Entrecasteaux Channel with a broad expanse of frameless glass. By this methodology, the user is located in the extraordinary, natural landscape of Tasmania's Bruny Island," adds Bailey.Save this picture!A separate, 375 sq ft / 35 m2 concrete cube with 4-metre-high ceilings, referred to as 'the studio,' offers an escape to a space of visual and sensory calm. Ideal as an office or meditation room, its spare design highlights the architecture and comprises only a Vipp Swivel chair against an integrated desk and a hidden mezzanine double bed.Save this picture!Light at the end of the tunnel Inspired by the area's natural phenomenon known as Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, when the night sky is transformed into a dreamscape of colour, Room11 has added chromatic glazing to the building's central skylights. Polished concrete floors and walls further enhance the effect, reflecting the ever-changing interplay of light that dances throughout the otherwise understated interior like ever-changing artwork."The kaleidoscopic lightwell installation offers a dynamic interplay of colour and time. As the sun moves and seasons shift, vivid hues of yellow, pink, and orange are cast across the concrete interior, marking the changing light at 42 south. Designed to respond to seasonal transitions, the installation ensures that no two visits are ever the same", explains the entrepreneur of the project, Dane Taylor. "A visit to Vipp Tunnel is an immersion into raw nature and raw architecture. It's a station of solitude at the edge of the world."Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The Danish link The eclectic meeting between counterparts continues in the rendez-vous between Vipp's Danish interior minimalism and the grandeur of Australia's nature. "Vipp travels south of the equator for the opening of our first guesthouse in Australia, adding to our steadily growing portfolio of Vipp guesthouses around the world",says Kasper Egelund, CEO and 3rd generation Vipp owner. "Known for its design excellence and remarkable natural surroundings, it makes for the ideal destination that has so many affinities with our Danish roots. Room11 has created a truly breathtaking piece of architecture, a space for reflection and escape that perfectly complements Vipp's design ethos."Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Whereas Tasmania provides the breathtaking exterior, Danish design brand Vipp supplies the interior. As if made for this project, Vipp's new all-aluminium V3 kitchen is the centrepiece of the main space. With a monumental stainless steel counter and fluted aluminium doors, the kitchen island mirrors the materiality of the building's architecture. A careful selection of Vipp furniture, including Vipp Swivel chairs upholstered in Australian sheepskin, provides a sense of sophisticated elegance against the raw shell of the tunnel while a bespoke sunken lounge integrates a corner of softness. "Our portfolio of guesthouses is about elevating the product experience and creating a doorway into our design universe. By working with different architectural typologies and vernacular, we can craft distinct design experiences", adds Egelund. Save this picture!To further strengthen the unique marriage of Danish design and Australian architecture, Danish artist Lin Utzon has brought an edition of her iconic 'Cosmic Dancers' series to the shores of Bruny Island. Placed among the property's red gum trees, the large-scale black and white ceramic sculptures echo the elongated strokes on the characteristic trees. As the daughter of Jrn Utzon, the world-renowned architect who designed the Sydney Opera House, Lin's ties to Australia run deep. Now a successful artist in her own right, Lin's work often mirrors her father's philosophy of harmonising art and architecture. The display of her 'Cosmic Dancers' in the Australian bushland alongside the architectural design of the Vipp Tunnel creates a strong connection to these aspects of her life and work.Save this picture!Off-grid hideaway Clad with an entire faade of solar panels facing west, the structure is energy-sufficient and runs off-grid. "The entire western faade is derived from the geometry of the solar array. An unequivocal statement of prioritising green energy production in contemporary construction. It's a celebration of a new frontier in sustainable construction. As far as we are aware, this is the first building to feature an entire faade created by solar technology, making the most of the location's latitude", says Bailey. With engineering ingenuity, the building's elevation from the ground minimizes the construction's direct footprint. During the design process, Room11 conducted surveys of every tree onsite and articulated roadworks around significant trees. A narrow construction corridor was established so that the impact on endemic vegetation was kept to an absolute minimum.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The concrete panel design provides thermal insulation to keep a regular temperature throughout the year, minimising the use of heating and cooling sources. For optimal comfort, the building has heated flooring throughout and air conditioning. "Material choices and construction methodologies utilised shall ensure a building of great longevity with the minimum of means. The project is a statement of quality over quantity", adds Thomas Bailey. This getaway is purely run on rainwater and self-sufficient energy. Add to that plenty of local produce to be bought on the island, and guests can truly be living off the land. Slowing Down Sweeping views of the island's lush flora and fauna invite guests to connect with nature and turn a visit into a study in the art of slowing down. A stay on Bruny Island is an invitation to breathe in some of the cleanest air in the world. Key to the charm of the island is the singular wildlife and abundance of natural sights. Here, birds patrol the skies over 'The Neck', a picturesque strait connecting North and South Bruny. Penguins surf the waves in Adventure Bay. And rare white wallabies remind you that you are indeed far away from home. Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Bruny Island, Tasmania, AustraliaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeRoom 11 ArchitectsOfficePublished on March 13, 2025Cite: "Vipp Tunnel Tasmania Guesthouse / Room 11 Architects" 13 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027829/vipp-tunnel-tasmania-guesthouse-room-11-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream