Wandiligong House - one year on
It’s been a year since the Wandiligong House was completed and I am taking the chance to reflect on some of the key aspects of the project. Here are some photos.
The outdoor shower was a request from the keen cyclist in the family. Here the client can refresh after their morning ride without disturbing the rest of the inhabitants of the house. The outdoor shower is clad in vertical timber battens to match the verticality of the metal cladding.
The cathedral ceiling of the new Master bedroom creates drama and peace at the same time. This light filled space has strong connections with the landscape with numerous windows looking onto the new courtyard, northern garden and western gum trees.
The new Artist studio sits on the southern boundary of the site, and has selected views of the new private courtyard and trees to the south and west. It is far away from the main living areas of the existing house and thus is a haven for the client to paint.
The new western elevation of the house creates a playful dialogue with passing pedestrian traffic and cyclists on the bike trail. The addition to the house is framed with the surrounding fruit and decidous trees, and the hills of Wandiligong in the distance.
To the north of the house, existing French doors were removed and replaced with a large double glazed sliding door, amplifying the connection to the deck and garden, and providing thermal comfort throughout the four seasons.
Wandiligong House _ work in progress
A new private courtyard was the main focus of the Wandiligong House project. The existing house in Wandiligong, a town that is entirely registered with the National Trust, is fortunate to directly back onto the scenic Wandi-Bright bicycle trail. However, this also left little privacy around the perimeter of the house. To provide a sanctuary away from the passing bicycle traffic, the clients suggested introducing a bedroom and studio to the west side of the house, thus creating a large private courtyard. The Architect designed a plan that had minimal disturbance to the exterior of the existing house but maximised the interior of the existing walk in robe. The new master bedroom has a cathedral ceiling which is bathed in light from the new private courtyard, and the studio provides an Artist’s haven with selected views of the bicycle trail and courtyard.
The bedroom and studio extension are a modern juxtaposition to the existing house, yet their scale is sympathetic and respectful. The extension, not visible from the front of the house, presents itself to the bicycle trail as a series of familiar shapes and uses materials to compliment the existing timber clad house.
Landscaping of the courtyard and final touches to the interior are still to be completed.
The new bedroom and studio as seen from the west.
Selected view of the bicycle trail from the new Artist's studio
The new timber pergola in the private courtyard creates depth and spectacle.
Canopy Architecture office officially in use.
Canopy Architecture’s new office is up and running. I have been enjoying the view from my desk since early December but the blinds were only installed last week. My partner is working in the office too and he is thoroughly enjoying his view and the extra space.
The next project is to landscape the surrounding garden. Stay tuned for those updates.
Seasons Greetings
This year I received a very special Christmas present. My new office is finished! It is wonderful to have a space dedicated to my work, and the view from my desk is lovely.
I’d like to wish everyone a very happy and safe Christmas. I hope you all get to spend time with people you love, and may the new year be fresh, fun and exciting.
Nearing completion
The new Canopy Architecture office is nearly completed. Next month I am scheduled to move in and start working from the study pod, as it is affectionately referred to.
Additionally, in one months time, hopefully more restrictions have eased and I can host opening drinks with some friends!
Stay tuned.
Latest construction news....
Construction for my new office has begun. I am very much looking forward to having a brand new work environment and a space to meet clients. The red termite proof timber frame can be seen from down the road, but this will soon be covered with three layers of insulation and black timber cladding.
Inside the office will be two large desks, loads of shelving and a two seater couch.
I am also looking forward to sitting on the north facing deck with a few friends on a Friday afternoon.
All settled in....
To follow up on my last blog post, the House on the Hill project was completed in mid 2018. Due to my absence from the Alpine Valley and the arrival of baby number two, there has been a long delay in this blog post. Nonetheless, the clients are very happy, the house extension works well on all levels and the new garage is truly magnificent! Here are some before and after photos.
The house on the hill
This charismatic timber house has views of Bright and Mystic hill. The clients feel it's time to extend the living and dining area as the existing space is too crowded. In addition to this extension there will be a new deck facing the views to the south, and to the north, construction of a separate garage with cellar and work space.
In keeping with the existing aesthetics of the house, the extension will be of a sensitive and modest character. Whilst the new garage will be a slightly modern interpretation of it's surrounding, it will reverberate the skin of the exiting house and use similar timber cladding.
Construction is expected to begin October 2016 - watch this space.
An unexpected delight
I had always said that Canberra was a big park with buildings scattered through it. The last time I visited Canberra, which was probably over ten years ago, the place made me very angry. It felt lifeless, car dependant and stagnant. It's only saving grace being the National Gallery of Australia.
However time has passed and even though it is still 'a big park with buildings scattered through it' Canberra has become a pleasurable tourist destination. I have been to our nation's capital twice this year and have thoroughly enjoyed what it has to offer. With impressive boutique hotels such as the Burbury Hotel & Apartments and Hotel Hotel, and enticing dining places such as Malamay, Lilotang, Maple & Clove Wholefoods, Akiba and Monster Bar, Canberra provides a culturally stimulating holiday.
Earlier this year, I travelled to Canberra to see the James Turrell exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). James Turrell is an American installation artist who uses light and space as his medium. Turrell has been a huge inspiration to me since studying Architecture, and his Roden crater was one of my precedents for my final year project. I had experienced some of his work already at the Chi Chu art gallery in Japan, so was especially keen to see this Australian exhibition. Even though I didn't enter one of the main installations, the perceptual cell, I found the exhibition to be totally overwhelming and beautiful.
The exhibition has since finished but there is a permanent Turrell installation, in the NGA's garden, called Skyspace. Turrell's Skyspace is a specifically proportioned chamber, or stupa, with a large opening in the ceiling open to the sky. Turrell has constructed many variations of Skyspace around the world, but this one is particularly interesting as the chamber is integrated into an Australian landscape - entering the chamber is via a long pathway where you meander past Australian native plants and cross over a water feature. Skyspace is open daily and is free.
Just recently I visited Canberra again, and had a few fun days of eating out and enjoying the warm Spring weather. I had a lovely morning walk through Telopea Park, along Lake Burley Griffith, and then briefly visited the National Portrait gallery to see the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015. I ran out of time to visit Lonsdale Street in Braddon, but I have been told and have read that there are many delicious eateries and coffee places there.
Remembering the Barbican
The sunken gardens at the Barbican Complex, London.
I recently visited some friends at their unit in North Melbourne. Their unit was part of a development which occupied an entire inner-city block. The development comprised of three to four storey blocks of units built around five landscaped gardens which were linked with a pathway dissecting through the centre of the site. Many large plane and palm trees screened the buildings. The unique arrangement and 1970's style architecture of this development reminded me of the Barbican Estate in London. Like the Barbican Estate there was a defiant Brutalist Architecture aesthetic with a clear intention to form a relationship with communal open space and individual units - setting the same tone of a design that strives to create a new mode of high density living.
Upon recommendation from an Architect friend, I visited the Barbican Estate & Centre in London for the first time earlier this year. It was a grey rainy day, and as I approached the Barbican centre from St Paul's Cathedral, I was initially surprised in having to catch a lift from the street. Shortly after I was pleasantly strolling through the Barbican Estate along a covered elevated walkway where I could appreciate the concrete detailing and many courtyards below without getting wet. After passing over the beautiful sunken gardens I arrived at the Barbican Centre, which is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. The centre comprises of the Barbican Hall for the London & BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Barbican Theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company, a flexible 200 seat theatre pit, the Barbican Art Gallery and the Curve Art Space, three cinemas, a library, three restaurants, seven conference halls and two trade exhibition halls. All this is melded together in a wonderful Brutalist building.
The Barbican Centre and Estate are situated on a 14 hectare site that was originally the main fort of Roman London between 90 & 120AD. The walled fort continued to serve military function until the 16th century when it was then home to several Royal family members. The fort was heavily bombed during World War 2, and so in 1965 building began for the Barbican Estate & Complex. The estate & complex were designed by Architects Chamberlain, Powell & Bon and opened in 1969. The estate is currently home to around 4,000 people living in 2,014 flats and was graded historically significant in 2001.
References: www.wikipedia.org
Glenn Murcutt at Moonlight Head
I recently had the privilege of staying in a Glenn Murcutt designed home. It was so wonderful to visit the home and experience the Master's crafting of space and light.
At Moonlight Head, 70kms west of Apollo Bay, there are five Glenn Murcutt & Wendy Lewin designed eco-lodges. Built between 2006- 2009, the lodges sit neatly in a row on a 40.5 hectare property, and are like five fingers stretching out to the sea.
The drive to get the lodges is somewhat precarious in the wet weather, as you wind through the Otways Forest and up an unsealed road. The first sight of the lodges is misconceiving as they appear to be small lodges. However when you enter, you realise that they are long buildings with four bedrooms in each.
The internal fit out is of high end standard, with German appliances, Italian bathroom fittings, and handmade Savoy king sized beds. There are beautiful details such as 400mm deep stainless steel window ledges, pivot hinged internal doors, and externally, angled brick wall ends. But the main stand out design feature is of course the saw cut roof. Working like a design grid, the north facing windows repeat approximately every three metres - beginning at the garage, repeating through the house, in each bedroom and then right down to the master bedroom. Not only does the saw cut roof give the external form a distinct character but the interiors are like they are carved out or cave-like. The repetition of the saw cut roof is best experienced in the long hallway which connects the four bedrooms, where the incoming light provides a gentle rhythm of space and light.
Click goes the Shears
Last year I had the great pleasure of spending a morning in a shearing shed with six shearers, three rousabouts, a wool classer and a wool presser. In Australia, shearing is an annual event usually occurring in November, and for my virgin experience, I was at my friend's farm near Ruffy, a beautiful, undulating area two hours north of Melbourne.
It was a hot morning and the day started promptly at 730am. Malita, the head rousabout, gave me a quick tour of the shed and a run down of the how the sheep are sheared, what everyone's roles were and also how I could help. So in between taking photos of the various activities, I helped gather the fleece, throw it onto the wool table and then 'skirt' the undesirable edges of the fleece.
A shearing day consists of four 'runs' of two hours each, two 'smoko' breaks of half an hour each and a lunch break of an hour which is taken at midday. The atmosphere in the shearing shed was noisy and frantic with everyone busy completing their tasks- the shearers constantly dragging a sheep out from the catching pen and shearing them, the rousabouts gathering the wool and sweeping the floor, the fleece being quickly skirted, before being graded by the wool classer and then the presser out the back pressing the wool into bails and marking them with the wool grade and farm name. The heat and bustle of the runs, and the constant drone of the six shears clicking, was then contrasted with the downtime of smokos when everyone would sit around together to eat and relax. I was exhausted from just photographing two runs.
We are all familiar with shearing as part of 'Aussie culture' - most of us can sing 'Click goes the shears' or can easily picture the 1890 painting 'Shearing the Rams' by Tom Roberts. However to experience this ubiquitous rural ritual in person, was an endearing experience. Everyone welcomed me and allowed me to take photographs, and I felt very humbled by their hard manual work, swift skills of shearing, and team work and comradery.
Royal Botanical Garden Cranbourne
On Saturday I went to The Royal Botanical Gardens Cranbourne to see 'The Australian Garden' by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Paul Thompson. It was a trip that I had been planning all year, as a good friend had recommend that I go, and then when 'the Australian Garden' won Landscaping Project of the Year at the World Architecture Festival last week, I decided that this was an excursion that had to be taken straight away.
The Royal Botanical Gardens Cranbourne (RBGC) was established in 1970 and is part of the Royal Botanical Gardens Melbourne. The RBGC covers approximately 40 hectares, contains one of Victoria's most precious areas of native bushland, and is home to more than 170,000 individual native plants. (1) The Australian Garden, which covers 15 hectares, lies on the north-east corner of the site and was originally a sand quarry. Stage one of construction finished in 2005 and Stage two was completed in 2012. The Australian Garden is a detailed exploration of the Australian landscape from the red desert to the coast. It is an incredible journey through gardens, up hills, over water, over rocks, and under trees. Every single plant is native to Australia - the breadth of colour, size and form was both astounding and inspiring. There was plenty of discrete educational signage allowing the visitor to learn how to set up their own native garden at home, and there were also areas showcasing scientific research on propagation of Australian natives.
The detailing of the landscaping was beautiful and inventive - garden beds were defined with 50mm rope, rain measuring sculptures constructed from monochromatic watering cans, stone paving of various textures laid out on angles and dissolving into the waterway edge, and small bushes cropped out of rocky surfaces or between large slabs of rock. There were masses of colour, with the largest garden bed of kangaroo paw I'd ever seen. This mass, abundant planting was contrasted with areas of minimal planting, such as the delicately laid out grass bushes precisely planted in a neat orthogonal grid. Not only were the display, survey and landscaping of native flora highly impressive, but the Architectural interventions, sparse but in balance with the landscape, were of equally high standard. The Kiosk to the north of the gardens was a clever twist on the Australian home - with vertical timber cladding and corrugated iron roofing cheekily framed in a stunning orange-red. The bus shelter was a small but perfectly crafted timber and copper structure, and the Melaleuca Spits were stylishly organic pontoons stretching peacefully across the water.
I spent nearly three hours in the Australian Garden and did not manage to see everything. There was just so much to look at and experience. And of course I did take some time to rest and enjoy the surrounds.
The Australian Garden is an amazing tribute to the Australian landscape and a truly wonderful demonstration of exceptional Landscape Architecture. As the Jury stated at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Victorian Awards in 2007:
'The Australian Garden captures the essence of what is great landscape architecture. Distinctly Australian landscape patterns have been referenced in a bold, graphic and sensitive way to provide a unique visitor experience. In doing so, the project has successfully reinterpreted what an Australian landscape is'.
Royal Botanical Gardens Cranbourne
Cnr of Ballarto Road & Botanic Drive, Cranbourne. Open 9am - 5pm daily
(1) RBGC Map and Guide
Quote from www.tcl.net.au/projects/cultural-interpretative/australian-garden
Grand Final Teepee
On Saturday I attended my brother in law's AFL grand final BBQ. We had been discussing for the last month the possibility of building a teepee in his backyard for this festive occasion. After a lot of googling and some conversations with a fellow architect, we came to a loose plan to construct the teepee with 5.8m bamboo poles and canvas. In the week leading up to the BBQ my brother in law went ahead on his own and constructed the teepee, despite Melbourne presenting some of the windiest days we can remember.
The teepee was a majestic structure and definitely added a great deal of excitement for those who attended the BBQ. The three canvas sheets were draped around the ten poles and tied down with ropes - there was some movement with the gusty Spring winds but it created a calming effect reminiscent of being on a sailing boat. The teepee was the perfect place where guests could escape 'the game' and chat with friends and family or have some quiet individual reflection time.
There was something very special about the circular space inside the teepee and of course the ten poles reaching up to the sky had some divine reference.
The 'Grand final teepee' - a sacred building for Melbourne's own religion 'Aussie Rules' and their biggest event on the calendar.
Demolition
The landscaping project at Northcote started on Monday and it is progressing extremely well, to the great excitement of the clients and their two children.
The concrete slab has been removed and the retaining wall is going up as we speak...
And isn't this Spring weather perfect for some outdoor work?
'Surburban' by Ian Strange
This afternoon I visited the Ian Potter Gallery to see 'Suburban' by Ian Strange. The exhibition was a culmination of 2 years work by the Australian born, New York based artist. The two year project that Strange had accomplished was of huge physical proportions - even Gordan Matta-Clark would have been impressed. The artist had somehow acquired 9 suburban post war style homes in various East coast American cities, painted on them or painted them monochromatic, and then with a team of cinematographers and photographers, captured the installations with high definition photos and videos. I found this feat all a bit overwhelming and it somewhat distracted me from the concept that the Artist was presenting. There were 9 large scale photographs, a multichannel surround-sound video installation, and some artefacts from the installations. The video installation was beautiful and eerie- the music haunting and the cinematography was crazily crisp. The photos were also perfectly produced - the lighting was exquisite and made the houses look like lovely colourful objects instead of depressing Suburban homes. Strange's personal discomfort and anger towards the post war Australian and American 'dream home' was clearly evident with the images of a burning house and the house with a big red cross painted on it. Despite being an immaculate presentation of social commentary I found it difficult to connect with the themes on offer as the houses were typically American in American landscapes. I also felt torn between Strange's negative representation of a home when the houses themselves, as a building, were not offensive to me. Perhaps it was the tension between nostalgia towards a family home, versus a repulsion of generic domestic architype, that Strange wanted me to feel.
The exhibition is on until 15th September 2013.
Image from www.ngv.vic.gov.au
The Real and the Imaginary
Of course I had heard of the illustrator/artist/writer Shaun Tan, but I'd never read any of his books as they are 'children's books.' How surprised and captivated I was, on the weekend when I saw 'Shaun Tan - the real and the imaginary' an exhibition currently showing at the Bendigo Art Gallery. Tan has written/illustrated fourteen books, illustrated for numerous other authors, and has also made a short animation 'The Lost Thing' which earned him an Acadamy Award in 2010. The exhibition was a collection of sketches, drawings, paintings and models - some of which were studies and others were the original artwork that are in his books. There were also drawings that Tan had sketched as a child, and as his father was an Architect, these drawings were on yellow trace or on the back of Architectural invoices. There were several large and small scale paintings which Tan had painted - I throughly enjoyed looking at these paintings of everyday suburban settings, such as footpaths, houses and backyards. The style of these paintings were totally different from his book illustrations, the paintings were loose and gestural, whereas his book artwork is precise and detailed. Despite the contrasting styles, I felt a strong sense that Tan draws visual inspiration for his imaginary worlds in the books from our everyday world.
This blurring between the real and fantasy is what makes Tan's work so engaging. Some would argue that his book artwork is purely fantasy - but I disagree, as the works are set in landscapes that are of Australian suburbia and the city streets. As Karen Quinlan, the Director of the gallery, wrote in the program 'His unique ability to make the familiar appear strange reflects the world back to us in a profound and surprising way.'
In conjunction with Tan's beautiful paintings and illustrations, the storyline in each of Tan's books are moving as well. In particular 'The Red Tree' is a book that explores the feeling of loneliness and depression. I left the exhibition feeling very inspired.
The exhibition is now showing until 1st September 2013.
Image courtesy of www.bendigoartgallery.com.au
www.shauntan.net
Along a field of lost marbles
On Friday night I attended the opening of Ryan McGennisken's fourth solo exhibition, at House of Bricks, Collingwood. The exhibition was a collection of new works - small and large scale illustrations and installations, and a short black & white video. As always, Ryan swept us away from the concrete jungle in which we live in, to a mystical place of animals, spirits and ghosts. His drawings have evolved into highly detailed illustrations - the fur and hair of the animals presented were impressive and contrasted against the human skulls painted in ink and watercolour. The installations were constructed from found branches and twigs - the larger installation resembling a tee-pee structure. Formed in the centre of the gallery, the two metre structure gave the space a feeling of being in a museum of a lost ancient civilisation. However all this was in tension with the video loop of footage Ryan filmed in the La Trobe Valley. The video delicately captured industrial sites & power stations from a distant view, and in viewing this with the adjacent artwork, the question of human impact on the natural world is posed.
'Along a field of lost marbles' runs from 2/8/13 - 12/8/13.
www.mcgennisken.com
www.houseofbricks.net
Smalltown
Yesterday I was lucky to get a sneak preview of an upcoming photographic exhibition called 'Smalltown' at the Museum and Art gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin. The exhibition is a collaboration between the photographer Martin Mischkulnig and author Tim Winton. Mischkulnig's photos are of remote, outback Australian places such as the Oodnadatta Track in SA and Fitzroy Crossing in WA. The images of empty playgrounds and weathered roadhouses are stark and bare, eerily capturing the isolation of these remote places. Next to these photos are words from Winton- the author poses questions about the impact of 'ugly' Architecture in these remote country towns. Winton acknowledges the beauty in these images but wonders if there are any emotional impacts to people when living in places which lack design?
'Smalltown' opens this Friday 26th July and runs until 2nd February 2014.
www.martinmischkulnig.com
Visit to Tarrawarra Museum of Art
On Saturday my friends and I visited the Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Healesville, to see the exhibition 'Animate/Inanimate.' The exhibition consisted of six contemporary artists exploring connections between the animate and inanimate worlds. The six art works were of varying scale and mediums, each artist filling a room of the museum. In the first space, Lin Tianmiao (China) adorned the walls with synthetic human bones that had been meticulously wrapped with brightly coloured silk thread. Looking closely at these objects reminded me of the traditional skull caps that children wear during Chinese New Year festival, which are crafted in a similar way. Later through the exhibition space, Amar Kanwar (India) produced a 45 minute film documenting the demise of an area in India to the mining industry. He constructed the documentary around a love poem, and together with the considered long takes and very wide shots, created more of a meditative landscape than a documentary. The six artworks were both beautiful and thought provoking, and as a collection resulted in an inspiring experience.
The most confronting artwork, I thought, was by the Australian Artist Janet Lawrence. Her installation was a series of large 'cells' arranged in a semi-dark room. Each 'cell' was dimly lit and dedicated to an extinct or near extinct animal. To view the artwork in each cell, we had to pass through a transparent curtain - within the boundaries of the curtain we were presented with an almost scientific arrangement of pictures, artefacts and videos of the animal. The collected items within the cell were placed on mirrored surfaces, images were printed on perspex, and videos projected on loose-knit woven fabric. The combination of dim light reflecting off the mirrors, and the intimacy of being within the small space of the cells, created an eerie dream like feeling. It was a slightly uncomfortable experience, and I am not sure if I felt closer or further away from these 'lost animals.' A very successful and interesting installation.
Image courtesy of www.twma.com.au