The 18 hectare site has had a life that has ebbed and flowed with the life of the family who have owned it for almost 30 years. Developed from the ground up into a small orchard by a growing family the farm is now retreating back to its natural form as the owners also wind down in retirement.
Front view (Images Courtesy Christopher Frederick Jones – Architectural Photographer)
The three wings of the Balonne River house each comprise a separate function. The master wing, closest to the river, contains the main bedroom, en suite, robe and the study come nursery.
The living wing is a large open space divided by an elliptical ‘stone’ shaped kitchen which provides a visual barrier from the front door. The kitchen also acts as a screen to divide the living wing into a more formal space with a fireplace, whilst at the other end the family space breaks out onto the covered deck.
The bedroom wing contains three bedrooms and guests room with en suite. The bathroom and toilet are in separate spaces that are accessed via a powder room/vanity space.
LAVA`s school relocatable is a learning space for the future. The classroom for 21st century learning is sustainable, integrates with the landscape, connects with the school environment, and is suitable for prefabrication and mass customization. Relocatable’s are the decades old solution to changing demographics, remote community needs, and natural disasters. Unsightly, they are perceived as cheap and unpleasant spaces.
The house is a family weekender located on approximately 100 acres in the granite belt roughly one hours drive north of Melbourne.
DESIGN
The obvious site for the house has panoramic views of the surrounding hills with the existing site access road approaching from the south. We created a circular driveway at the head of this road leading to covered car spaces, which radiate off the driveway, and provide sheltered access directly through the boots room or laundry on either side of the main entry door. The dwelling has three wings built around this central circular drive, bedroom / study wings along the east & west sides, with the main living, kitchen, dining and decks along the north. A gallery connects the three wings and main entry. The bedroom wings are mirrored geometric compressed cement sheet boxes with deep reveal windows providing shade and weather shelter. The main living, kitchen, dining and decks facing due north are under one long blade corrugated roof structure supported by high rustic timber trusses which are supported of a rammed earth blade wall. The rammed earth wall also separates these areas from the gallery walkway, which links all three wings and the building entries.
“Grieve Gillett have considered and applied Yalumba’s ethos of tradition and innovation with a considered retention and a celebration of existing heritage qualities. The master touch of an experienced design hand can be felt with a celebratory juxtaposition between the sophistication of the new and the industrial feel of the old.” Jury Citation.
The original 1860’s home sits modestly on its block. Humble and unassuming, its appearance defines its cultural significance; the workers cottage preserves a ‘moment’ in the rich, blue-collar heritage and character of Balmain. Preserving and restoring the integrity of the existing cottage as part of the streetscape and the eclectic, urban fabric of Balmain was always fundamental to the design. Any addition needed to be sympathetic, sensitively yet distinctively bridging the divide between new and old.
Article source: Christopher Polly Architect
Context – The penthouse apartment is located in a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney within the Easthaven building originally designed by Ancher Mortlock & Murray in the late 1950’s, with views of Sydney Harbour to the north and Double Bay and Point Piper to the east.
Conceptual Framework – The proposal provides a model for grafting a singular substantial volume to an existing single storey semi-detached dwelling while capturing a centrally retained bathroom within the new volume, enabling old and new fabric to enmesh a unique spatial sequence along the length of the dwelling counter intuitive to popular planning methods – to improve the physical and visual relationships to the new rear garden, while harnessing improved access to sunlight, natural ventilation and views to borrowed landscapes and sky beyond.
Environmentally cutting edge Boston University Student Housing opens in UTS architecture strip – Tony Owen Partners
Following the release of the new plans for the UTS Business Schiool by architect Frank Ghery, a new architectural environmental showpiece will be completed this week in the precinct. This week sees the opening of the new student housing building for Boston University in Regent Street. Designed by Tony Owen Partners in association with Silvester Fuller architects the new facility provides 164 student accommodation rooms for the US based education institution.
The first in a series of studies into the adaptation of vernacular Australian suburban typologies, ‘Blurred House’ is a major renovation and extension to an original 1930’s Californian bungalow in Melbourne’s inner-north. Reacting to the established convention of residential extension which prescribes a jarring juxtaposition of existing ‘old’ and introduced ‘new’ architectural elements; the ‘Blurred House’ offers an alternative proposition; that of a blurring between ‘old’ and ‘new’ to produce a hybrid. Gradually transitioning from the vernacular to the contemporary, the division of architectural elements are deliberately ambiguous, producing a unique formal and visual language.
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