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Architect Engineer Owner Builder Location Date Completed |
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Internal Plywood Finishes and Timber Floors. Timber construction serves well in many owner built renovation projects because of the simplicity of construction its offers. However, the physical skills and understandings of the owner often limit the complexity and sophistication of the design. That is not so in this project. It has taken the owners, a writer and a marketing manager, six years to bring this elegant and sophisticated design to fruition, with the architect as a firm but friendly supervisor. Tonkin (1996) describes that 'the project maintains a consistent, contemporary architectural quality, both functional and stylish. Several themes are evident: layered volumes and surfaces, the interpenetration of simple, Euclidean shapes and the enlargement of space by various means: all expressed with a sophisticated but straightforward geometry in a range of rich, inexpensive materials. The layering of surfaces and volumes is carried out with control and serves throughout to expand the spaces and provide useful storage. A 'fat' wall runs along the north side of the house, incorporating lots of cupboards, the staircase and half the kitchen.' Timber combines with steel and interlayered glass to achieve the visual layering of surfaces and structure. In the lower level, this is sharp and clean with the hoop pine plywood that encloses the laundry and forms the window storage working with the exposed sandstone to soften the crisp steelwork. The living areas to the upper levels, however, are warmer and more comfortable. Hoop pine plywood is used to face both walls and is set against a brilliant violet painted wall and an obscure glazed windows. The flooring is strip brush box. This warmth and clean timber detailing flows outside. The cubic reveal at the rear elevation is 18 mm hoop pine pinewood on a timber stud frame. For the balcony over the garden, the supporting structure is second hand steel with standard timber decking stood on its edge and threaded onto stainless steel rods with five washers in between as spacers - (lead image - Looking from the kitchen to the dining areas. ) - all photography by Ross Honeysett - References Tonkin, P. 1996, Cubic rescue, Architecture Australia, Sept/Oct, pp 64-69. Williams, A. 1996, Rock Steady, domain, Sydney Morning Herald, pp 12-13, August 8. |
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