!!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.