the unfortunate happenings of a cabin

Peninsula House

 My final house researched in my endeavour to answer the three questions I proposed in earlier blogs was Sean Godsell's Peninsula House. Once again we have encountered another architect who has taken all the concepts of architecture and challenged them. The Peninsula House is located in a beachside town called Sorrento (Mornington Peninsula), 120km away from Melbourne. This project is based on a very meticulous concept used in many of Godsell's designs, of exploring the Japanese notions of moya (inner room) and hisashi (enclosed veranda). Very similarly to the cabin I aim to design, the needs for the clients were very basic; a living/eating room, a library and a sleeping area. What was most interesting about this design was how Godsell justified the projects construction. He compares the project as metaphor for nature, recreating the essential concepts of the human body. The bones, are the mainstay of any living thing; in this case would be the structure that serves as support, the skin is represented as the shell that covers the bones and the joints and organs are characterized as "the circulation and environments with different functions". The outer skin of the house is made from slats of wood recovered from demolition of mills and farms in Australia. It is this aspect as well as the use of air circulation and lighting that makes this house very 'eco friendly'.

As an environmental filter there are many crucial components to the design which make it so liveable. The primary spaces have been divided differently by dimension, volume and quality of light; the living room is very light, the bedroom is moderately light and the library is dark by comparison. In respects to lighting, another great attribute is the house acts as a sun dial throughout the day, because of how the light is filtered through the timber screens, the course of the day and time of year is mapped out in the extents of the shadows cast. The house also has the ability to go from opaque to transparent with the use of moveable screens, this particularly handy in such a changing climate as Australia.

The delight of this house is that it has been designed as a nurturing inner room, which aims to provide a quiet getaway for the owners then can be opened up completely to host. 

Tubac House- Rick Joy

When thinking about considerate design and my three questions, house as an environmental filter, house as a container for human activity and house as a delight I couldn't sum it up any better than the architect himself.

"The gravel path to the house crunches beneath your feet. Through the garden of barrel cactuses that appear to be standing guard, one descends into a courtyard by way of stair wedged between the two retaining walls. From here an oasis unfolds; cool dark shaded areas, the sound of water trickling, humming birds, the smell of sage and flowers, reflections. The courtyard provides relief from the overwhelming expansive setting while the two buildings frame a cropped view of Tumacacaori Peak, a clients favourite."

It is this statement which for me answers all my questions, such thoughtful yet very similarly to the Gold Coast House, a different way of thinking which has resulted in a marvel. Tubac house is located in the desert of Arizona which has impacted heavily on its design. Architect Rick Joy had the challenge of designing to a climate which most people don't live in, as well as designing to the needs of the client. The house has been designed with such a simple form; open space, clean lines, solid materials, a plant here, a small pool there yet when all of these are combined it forms what is actually a smart and sophisticated project. It seems that simplicity was the main idea with Joy not wishing to  "over do it with pompous decor and irrelevant design", instead focusing on surreal views that surrounded the house. By doing this he was able make a design which blended with its surroundings yet also slightly deviated too. Tubac House can only best be described as a journey, a house someone would never get bored living in, despite it being in an area where nothing but the occasional tumbleweed rolling by and thunderstorms occur.

As an environmental filter the house operates very efficiently. Given that walls are made of rammed earth and sustainable local materials this means the house has a small footprint. The rammed earth walls provide ample protection from the climatic extremes of the desert (very cool nights, hot dry days). The house has been designed with large voids and open spaces to allow for maximum amount of ventilation to circulate through, cooling the house. Another factor throughout the house is Joy's use of overhanging box windows which are in carefully selected locations and frame the specific views of lighting storms and distant mountain ranges.

As a container of human activity, Tubac house does exactly what it needs to, making the clients very happy. Spatially the house has been designed using a flexible open plan, which means most public spaces are very versatile and serve many purposes. This is another design which has employed the use of control lines well. Movement within the house is easy yet there is still a gradient of public to private, so the owners have been respected. Given the owners are very keen astrologers, Joy has implicated the use of large viewing areas that have direct access with the sky. Most probably more of an environmental filter, yet materials also factors into human activity. Joy has used coarse and raw materials for the exterior, yet has contrasted this by using steel, plaster and glass as interior materials yet also as an escape from the harsh surroundings.

It seems that the house as a delightful experience is really indicative of all the aspects mentioned above. The fact that Joy has explored all the pure and simple pleasures architecture can offer is what makes this project delightful. From the most minute detail of strategically placed pools of water, which reflect/continue the landscape throughout the design, to the larger, mystifying rustic facade which is hidden amongst the landscape, it seems everything has been thought of. The design is honest, despite a lot of dust and reflections this house definitely is not smoke and mirrors, yet a simple pleasure to occupy.  

!!GC House!!

You don't have to research too far into Innovarchi's  Gold Coast House before you start asking yourself why more information hasn't been published on this well thought out, practice yet sleek and modern design. The project consists of two double story pavilions joined together by an entertaining/performance area. In order make the most an elevated location and glorious views, GCH has mostly been constructed using glass on the northern facade. The bottom level is very private, heavily built and somewhat opaque thus ensuring privacy for the dance studio that operates downstairs. Contrasting heavily (and very strangely), the living space upstairs is very transparent, open, airy and offers 270 degree panoramic views. The three questions I have asked in this article are how does GCH act as an environmental filter, container of human activity and how is it a delightful experience. Luckily I was very privileged to be able to interview one of the architects on the project team, Giulietta Biraghi , who offered far more insight into this project than any article or website could of.

My initial thoughts about this project was that it seemed to be back to front and really challenged the ideals of everything I had been taught whilst studying architecture. However in this case, after much research, it seems to have changed my perspective on how I would design in the future. Below I have provided an analysis of my three questions in relation to GCH.

House as an environmental filter

The house is situated amongst grasslands, on an elevated site, surrounded by neighbours, these factors combined with the fact receives up to 6 or 7 keen observers a week based purely on the architecture, means the owners need privacy. In order to deal with this bottom level has been constructed very heavily using masonry block and offers a very small view in from the street. A challenge was proposed when the architects chose to use a very transparent construction material of glass for the upper level, this being that there was zero percent privacy, so to combat this issue moveable screens had been installed which allowed the owners to customize completely which parts of the house are public and private.

Giulietta added to these points:

During summer, direct sunlight is stopped by the roof overhang, thus it never actually touches the glass, however in winter the sun enters and is stored in the concrete slabs, which work as a thermal mass, issuing the heat back into the space at night. This has proven successful as the clients only use a heater on a few really cold nights in winter.

The roof space is ventilated by a 50mm opening (meshed to stop animals) which provides cross breeze through the cavity and stops overheating from the sun on zincalume roof. The roof spaces are also cooled naturally by cross breezes created by opening the glass doors to the north and louvers to the south.

Rain water is collected by the large roof surface areas and stored in tanks for use around the gardens and house. This is proving successful also as the owners are planning to put in another tank. All waste is treated on site by the biocycle and grey water is filtered onto garden beds.

Container of human activity

This particular house accommodates for more than the average needs in a usual design brief, so its ability to contain human activity was very important. The owners mother also lives in the house and creates art in one of the downstairs areas, as well as the previously mentioned dance studio and performance areas. What I thought was a crucial part of the design was the very clever use of control lines. The house has been mapped out using these control lines, which allows for very easy and free flowing movement, something very important for those who entertain often. Another crucial point was the flexibility of the house to be a communal entertaining area and then very quickly become a private residence again, this all done very cleverly through the use of screens.

A delightful experience

This is the question that stumped me the most and all I could think of was that it was a modern house, with modern materials that had everything in it the owners needed, yet there was more to the story. The website described it as "A fishbowl with somewhere to get dressed" and Giulietta gave me more insight into this thought.

Giulietta added to these points:

The clients describe the house as an absolute delight to live in. The lack of walls give a sense of space and freedom, nearly as if "living in the glass house is a way of life". You are fortunate enough to live with nature, you rise with the sun, and the kangaroos who see the glass as a barrier and are not threatened by the activity within, and you get to follow the change in the sky all day.

Overall, it's clear to see the amount of thought put into this design, but most importantly how happy this thought has made the owners. This is a great example of how asking three little questions can result in some pretty thoughtful architecture.