Innholdsfortegnelse for #98 Jul-Aug 2024 i Green Magazine

Much has been written about plants and their effect on human health and happiness. The yearning to be in and amongst nature is referred to as biophilia. With studies showing that the more time we spend in nature the lower our stress levels, it seems to me that the more space we give over to vegetation around our homes the better. In this issue five houses demonstrate a deep connection to the outdoors and surrounding bushland. In Sydney's Northern Suburbs a house designed by Incidental Architecture for a family of eight made space for a large tree that spreads itself high and wide, enveloping the house in its canopy. On Victoria's Surf Coast on a richly vegetated site, Not All Architecture used a recessive, dark interior to ensure the garden…

Sascha Solar-March and Harry Catterns from architecture studio SAHA (SA for Sascha and HA for Harry) have been close friends since they were teenagers. They began studying architecture at different times – for Sascha, coming from a family of builders, the decision to enrol in architecture straight after school was a natural choice. Harry on the other hand, took some time to come to the same decision, enrolling as a mature age student. But for both of them, choosing architecture was about more than just design. “[Architecture] was one of the few professions that had creativity at its heart but also had an element of social change, which was a big driver,” says Sascha. “That's probably even more so for you because you came to architecture later,” he adds, looking…

Hailing from the 1960s, Beachcomber-style houses are a recognisable icon of suburbs and beachside towns around Australia, their mid-century modern style embodying a sense of nostalgia and retro appeal. The owners of this Beachcomberstyle house in Narrawallee on the New South Wales South Coast wanted to retain the charm of the original house while creating a relaxed and playful escape where their extended family could holiday together. They engaged Architect George to imaginatively reinvent the house and gave the Sydney-based studio license to be adventurous with colour. “This led to a material and colour study that created a series of rooms soaked in colourful paints, tiles and stones,” says Architect George director, Dean Williams. Taking its form from the classic Beachcomber, the original house was a rectangular box elevated on…

Architect Incidental Architecture incidentalarchitecture.com.au Builder Avalon Constructions Landscape architect Even Spaces Location Cammeraygal Country. Sydney, NSW. Passive energy design Extensive overhangs offer shading in summer and allow sun penetration in winter while giving ultimate weather protection in inclement conditions. The ground floor slab receives winter sun and acts as thermal mass. Effective cross ventilation is available in all spaces. Retractable external venetians shade east- and west-facing glazing. Sliding timber screens provide shading and privacy to ground floor northern windows. Fixed, angled polycarbonate screens allow northern sun in to first floor rooms while providing privacy from neighbouring properties. A double height void in the living area acts as a thermal chimney. In summer, high level louvres expel hot air and allow additional ventilation. Shutters on the first floor can be opened…

Houses In the idyllic bush setting of Victoria's Anglesea sits the recently completed Dusty Miller House. The project, by Not All Architecture, skilfully adds to the legacy of modestly-sized dwellings on amply vegetated sites that exemplifies the region's charm. The house utilises richly textured materials and sophisticated mass plantings to embody this character and inspire other proposed additions in the area to maintain the specifics of its bush-meets-coast appeal. Not All Architecture is an emerging Surf Coast architecture practice focused on exploring finely detailed small footprint houses. The house was commissioned by a retired regional couple slowly transitioning to the coast. The project replaces a poorly built dwelling with an efficiently detailed, well-built new home, ensuring it can mature gracefully over countless decades. The Dusty Miller House has a confident…

Upfront Garden Bradbury Park Playscape, designed by Alcorn Middleton, offers an imaginative escape for Brisbane's youth. Targeted toward 10 to 15 year olds, it encourages risk-taking and intergenerational play in an effort to disentangle teens and pre-teens from their digital devices. The playscape has three distinct play tiers, as well as meandering byways and hidden alcoves, encouraging varying levels of autonomy and dynamic exploration – a space that transcends age and ability. The design draws inspiration from local flora and fauna; charred timber paying homage to the sturdy ironbarks nearby and kaleidoscopic dichroic panels and ropes injecting the vibrancy of the nearby rainbow lorikeets dancing amongst branch tips. Through its materials and details, it tells a story of connection to the land. amao.com.au…

What I like about you Architect: Tadao Ando Scattered across the Seto Inland Sea in the southern prefecture of Kagawa in Japan are some 3000 islands, a few of which have been affectionately coined the Art Islands. It is a pilgrimage of sorts, only accessibly by ferry. Naoshima Island, being the most notable and largest of the Art Islands, provides devotees a striking blend of nature and contemporary architectural artistry for its array of monumental concrete structures, some of which are sunken into an undulating landscape. Across the world, Tadao Ando is the name synonymous with the aesthetic of concrete, and on the island of Naoshima this is no different. For me though, the most memorable and profound building I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing is a lesser-known…

After 13 years regenerating 28 acres at Bellbrae on Victoria's Surf Coast and tending a productive garden, Zen Architects’ Director Ric Zen describes as “a work of art itself”, his clients had a clear vision for the steeply sloping 1165-square-metre bush block they bought in Anglesea a few years back. In the magnificent trees, ocean glimpses and 10-metre drop towards a hidden path to Point Roadknight beach, the couple saw the perfect setting for a long-planned Passive House that would care for and blend into its exquisite landscape in a way that was both familiar and entirely new for them. They had partnered with architects on three previous homes. Each was exquisite, shaped by passive solar design and yet underwhelming in their thermal performance. Inspired by a friend's Passive House,…

Architect Architect George architect-george.com Builder Envisage Construction & Design Landscape design TARN Location Budawang Country. Narrawallee, NSW. Passive energy design The house is mostly orientated to the east and west, with glazing on all levels to open up all spaces to natural light, ventilation and views of the gardens. Glazing and balconies on both ends of the building allow for the occupant to follow the sun throughout the day, allows light to penetrate deep into the plan throughout the day and promotes effective cross ventilation on hot summer days. The Beachcomber architectural style creates a ground floor undercroft space which houses an additional bedroom, bathroom, laundry and carport-turned-outdoor living area. It also allows for a cooler darker space that acts as a retreat from the heat. The house does not…

Architect Not All Architecture notallarchitecture.com.au Builder Surfcoast Construction Landscape design Simon Taylor Landscape Design Location Wadawurrung Country. Anglesea, Vic. Passive energy design The geometries of the project are driven by a process of patterning information and site conditions. Major living spaces are angled to orient true north, projected wall planes define entry and the convex verandah creates a number of outdoor zones for different times of the day, seasons and prevailing winds. The master bedroom is cast out into the Anglesea heathland picking up first light while having privacy from the main living areas. The architecture is intended to spatially respond to the malleable nature of modern family life and the site has been regenerated with indigenous plants to restore and augment local ecologies. First principle passive design strategies have…

Upfront Sungai Design is a new sustainable design company creating highquality, unique products from plastic waste collected from Bali's river systems by their sister non-profit, Sungai Watch. To date, Sungai Watch has installed 270 floating barriers throughout Indonesia's rivers and has collected over 1.8 tonnes of plastic, with daily collection now averaging over 3000 kilograms of plastic. Sungai Design recently launched their first product; the Ombak (wave in Indonesian) chair, available in “Seater” and “Lounger” variations and a range of colours. Each Ombak chair is subtly different, made from a unique combination of 2000 upcycled plastic bags, extensively cleaned, and then shredded and heat-pressed into hard, durable sheets. Then, using CNC technology, those sheets are intricately sculpted into a series of parametric panels that make up the backbone of the…

Upfront Yangamini are a guerrilla collective of trans and nonbinary First Nations Sistagirls and accomplices from the Tiwi Islands. Their latest project, commissioned for the 24th Biennale of Sydney, symbolises resistance against Santos's Barossa Gas Project with a series of large-scale butt plugs. Yangamini draws parallels between the environmentally destructive project, and the myth of Mapuriti Nonga – the Evil Ass Spirit. When Mapuriti Nonga speaks, malicious gas releases from their anus-like orifice of a mouth, passing through the bellies of one person to the next, infecting and corrupting. The butt plugs, made from local and traditional materials, symbolically block the spread of toxicity and protest the long line of exploitative schemes and colonial projects that continue to threaten the land and waters of the Tiwi Islands. biennaleofsydney.art @black.holes.matter…

Architect Zen Architects zenarchitects.com Builder Aphi Projects aphiprojects.com.au Joinery Living Space Joinery lsjoinery.com.au Passive energy design Zen Architects traditionally takes the solar passive approach to sustainable design, orientating buildings to the north. However, Passive House construction allowed for a siting that let them sculpt light coming into the building and frame views without compromising the home's thermal performance. The home is not orientated to the north but instead towards views of Point Roadknight. They worked with a certified Passive House builder, Aphi Projects, with a passion for performance and attention to architectural detail. The design provides comfortable living with low energy use year-round. Full mechanical ventilation to Passive House standards ensures internal air quality and comfort year-round. This is an all-electric project. Materials The Surf Coast is the obvious inspiration…

Houses The challenge for the architects of this new house in Sydney's Northern Suburbs was to create a home for eight people that could adapt over time, while not seeming crowded. The team at Incidental Architecture (formerly Matt Elkan Architecture) met the clients by word of mouth and found a family that was not only large, with two parents and six kids from age 6 to 17, but who also liked to host family from out of town and invite their community into their home from time to time. The site is a 557-square-metre block with neighbours on each side – not a lot of space for a house for eight people. The solution that Incidental devised was to create overhangs on the first level so that the house is…

Architect Arcke arcke.com.au Builder Bluebird Location Turrbal Country. Chelmer, QLD. Passive energy design House orientation has been carefully considered. Most openings are to the north and north-east, allowing the penetration of warming winter sun and river views. Engagement with the western aspect has been minimised, but where views were desired, solid casements have been designed to control afternoon sun while allowing movement of air. All living and bedroom areas have multiple windows and doors, enabling strong but controlled natural daylight and cross ventilation that responds to the prevailing breezes. A combination of larger permeable openings together with smaller louvre bays allows the inhabitants significant control of, and interaction with, their natural environment. The design unfolds around and under the canopy of large existing trees which provide a permeable umbrella together…

Ever since he was a little kid Gio Fitzpatrick has had a fascination with nature. Jars of bugs and rescued birds were a feature of his childhood rooms in bayside Melbourne. Fanned by his parents’ support and encounters with passionate older naturalists, he was encouraged to pursue his passion to the point where it has become his life. “I got involved with the Port Phillip Eco Centre. I ran a program from there called Port Phillip Nature Watch. It was all about significant sightings of wildlife in the city. That opened my eyes to not only what was there – but also what was missing,” Gio says. His boyhood mentors – older naturalists at the centre – would tell him stories of what used to be and how the landscape…