Design Brief

A 3.8 hectare, steep ex quarry site with a northerly aspect at the foothills of Mt Wellington was the siting for the clients’ new home. The clients’ priorities included maximisation of easterly valley views, provision for five bedrooms with family and entertaining areas adjacent to the kitchen.

Additionally, separate adult living, master bedroom and guests’ private areas were essential. Importantly, a centralised computer nook and rumpus with kitchenette and entertaining decks were also priorities.

Fundamental to the brief, was the desire to create a contemporary home with light filled spaces that integrated sustainable design principles with the ability to be carbon neutral into the future.

Design Solution

Building design firm Clever Designs designed the home to be bunkered deep into the steep quarry site, seemingly emerging from the hillside and connecting to its natural environment with minimal disturbance to habitation. This design strategy not only minimised unnecessary large and costly excavations but allowed the dual storey home to be conceived complying with council height setbacks.

The northern façade is also deliberately inclined at 75 degree to counterac the visual impact of a traditional double storey home. The built form is a clear demonstration of an innovative, contemporary structure that blends effortlessly with its surrounding environment yet exceeds compliance requirements.

Sustainability concepts and strategies have also formed a significant aspect of the decision making process with client comfort and health, water conservation, energy consumption and material selection being the key areas of focus.

Material Considerations

The structural design enabled best practice construction methods to be applied to this difficult site with an extensive use of a minimal selection of four main building materials: steel, glass, concrete and plantation grown, engineered timber.

The innovative, exposed structural steel skeleton and inclined columns anchored at the base of the quarry are fundamental to the design decreasing the need for traditional structural support for the suspended main floor. Additionally, the steel lintels on the upper floor provide roof support via the short columns and are also expressed throughout the internal layout of the home.

Consultants & Contractors

Building Designer: Clever Design

Photographer: Richard Eastwood

 

 

This article was written with the assistance of Building Designers Australia.