Vipp Tunnel – Brutalist Poetry in the Tasmanian Wilderness
A Solar-Powered Sanctuary at the Edge of the Earth
Architecture Meets Isolation
Perched on the windswept edge of Bruny Island, the Vipp Tunnel is not your typical off-grid escape. Designed by Room11 Architects in collaboration with Danish design brand Vipp, this 30-meter brutalist guesthouse cuts a bold silhouette against the raw Tasmanian landscape—minimal, sculptural, and quietly radical.
A Linear Masterpiece in Concrete
The Tunnel’s cantilevered form stretches over a sloping hill, offering uninterrupted views of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Crafted from smooth concrete panels, the structure feels grounded and weightless all at once. Floor-to-ceiling glass, recessed steel doors, and an open central courtyard dissolve the boundary between interior and bushland, allowing light and silence to become part of the design itself.
Sustainability in Every Detail
This is architecture that gives back. The western façade is clad in solar panels, powering the guesthouse entirely off-grid. Rainwater collection and thermal insulation built into the concrete ensure a year-round comfort that’s deeply tied to place. Scattered among the surrounding red gums are outdoor sculptures by Danish artist Lin Utzon, her ‘Cosmic Dancers’ adding an ethereal layer of art to an already poetic site.
Interior by Vipp, Atmosphere by Nature
Inside, Vipp’s signature Scandi-industrial aesthetic meets the softness of Australian textures. The V3 aluminum kitchen anchors the space, surrounded by Vipp Swivel chairs upholstered in sheepskin. Polished concrete walls and floors pick up the changing hues of daylight, amplified by a chromatic skylight that echoes the tones of the Aurora Australis—transforming the interior into a shifting lightscape.
DNA Hotels Verdict
Vipp Tunnel is less a stay, more a solitary meditation in concrete, sky, and shadow. For design pilgrims and nature purists alike, this Tasmanian outpost offers a rare equilibrium—architecture as stillness, sustainability as philosophy, and wilderness as luxury.
