Nestled along the southern coast of Australia is the seaside village of Inverloch, Victoria. Here in this small tourist-friendly village you'll find the Croft house, a home built to both preserve nature, as well as take advantage of the stunning scenery.

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Sydney-based architect James Stockwell is the man behind the Croft house. He explains the owners requested the house have "full outlook to, and shelter from, the coastal vistas in all directions." At the same time, they wanted the home to "blend in and live together with a magnificent natural environment."

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Knowing the owners' requests, Stockwell says he asked himself "if the elements of rain, sun and wind could generate an architecture, what would it look like?"

He found that vision in the futuristic-looking home you see in the slideshow above. The home is partially sheltered in the land, which not only provides protection from the elements, but also helps moderate indoor temperature year-round because the layer of earth acts as insulation.

Stockwell added an extra layer of protection by building "compressed sand thermal mass walls" and adding a tree line outdoors to block high winds.

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The architect also wanted the home "to tell a story of a place and vernacular of local craftsmanship and materials," so he focused on using building materials that were available locally in Victoria, including Vic ash timber and bluestone.

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"It is shielding, robust and embracing," Stockwell says.

The Victorian Architecture Awards 2013 honored the Croft house with the Allan and Beth Coldicutt Award for Sustainable Architecture, acknowledging "sustainability at all levels is seamlessly woven into the design."

You can discover more of Stockwell's projects here on his website.

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