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Architects: Core Collective Architects
- Area: 300 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:Adam Gibson
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Manufacturers: Clinka, Outline, Qasair, ROGER SELLER
Text description provided by the architects. This is a special house designed for a retired couple, making the move from Sydney to the luscious landscape of Middleton in southern Tasmania. It’s a home in which to live in, to connect with the land, to watch the weather and the stars, and to accommodate visiting family members.
“We were looking for an aesthetically pleasing low energy, solar efficient home that made the most of the stunning Southern Tasmania landscape. Core Collective provided that and much more; exceeding our expectations with a design that we have fallen in love with.”
We found our clients the perfect site, located on a gentle hill oriented to the north for the sun and the views of the D'entrecasteaux Chanel. We wanted the house to sit with the contours of the hill, nestling into the bank and opening up its long north-facing side to the panoramic views and warming sunshine.
Knowing that this part of Tasmania can experience wild weather throughout the year, we built in a sheltered outdoor entertaining area, covered by a roof and with an outdoor fireplace to keep warm by. The house is 9 Star energy rated, and uses the warmth of the sun, storing it in the insulated floor and walls, for gradual release throughout the day and night. Our clients were thrilled to discover they could comfortably walk around bare-foot in the depths of winter, with no need to turn the heaters on!
Our client’s have a beautiful collection of furniture, artworks, literature and music. We wanted the house to be a quiet backdrop to all of these beauties, so we selected a simple material pallete of concrete, steel, lime rendered masonry and Tasmanian timbers.
As always, we were very involved during construction. We like to work with the builder and tradespeople to refine the designs together. At Sunnybanks house, there was a range of custom steel items, including the landscape screening and internal storage shelving. Our steel fabricator welcomed us into his workshop to refine the details together. We designed a large outdoor copper light fitting and had a studio working-bee to install the light on site.
We prepared the landscape design and selected plant species to suit the site and the client’s needs. A green roof was incorporated over the garage, planted with Tasmanian natives.
“We engaged Core Collective on a full-service contract basis that took us from conceptual design to handover; they were totally professional and put our best-interests ahead of all other considerations, which ensured that for us, the build was a pleasurable and rewarding experience.”
