Architecture
6 Australian Homes That Show Some Spine
Why cover up great feats of engineering? In these six inspiring homes, architects show off the structural framework of their modern marvels
If ever there was an opportunity to reveal the inner workings of structural design in residential projects, the open-plan contemporary house is the perfect place in which to inspire such awe. In these exemplary designs, architects make a feature of exposed timber trusses, steel beams, gigantic girders and outdoor framework to sensational sculptural effect.
Inside the house, which was a finalist in the Australian Timber Design Awards 2014, timber beams form a thread, which ‘stitches’ the new living room to the existing house, then beyond to the western courtyard. The internal beams converge at a northern point into a large timber column in front of the kitchen area.
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2. Unfinished business
Cut Paw Paw, Melbourne
Turning a house inside out was a bold move for architect Andrew Maynard when he was commissioned to renovate and design a new extension to a double-fronted weatherboard home in Seddon, Victoria. The owners asked Maynard to design the house so it looked ‘ridiculously inside-out’.
To accomplish this, Maynard not only employed tested and successful ideas, such as sliding walls, bi-fold doors and decks, but also left the building incomplete.
Cut Paw Paw, Melbourne
Turning a house inside out was a bold move for architect Andrew Maynard when he was commissioned to renovate and design a new extension to a double-fronted weatherboard home in Seddon, Victoria. The owners asked Maynard to design the house so it looked ‘ridiculously inside-out’.
To accomplish this, Maynard not only employed tested and successful ideas, such as sliding walls, bi-fold doors and decks, but also left the building incomplete.
The central space, between the dining area and the studio, is an unclad frame within and surrounded by garden. “It is both inside and outside. It is both a new building and an old ruin. It is both garden and home,” says Maynard.
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3. Free flow
Cowshed House, Sydney
What used to be an old cowshed provided a rare opportunity to preserve some of the character and charm of the eclectic inner-city Sydney suburb of Glebe. “The shed was essentially a long brick wall that held the urban edge of corner and street and returned to house a few bedrooms in the place of the former stalls,” says architect Shaun Carter of Carterwilliamson Architects.
Cowshed House, Sydney
What used to be an old cowshed provided a rare opportunity to preserve some of the character and charm of the eclectic inner-city Sydney suburb of Glebe. “The shed was essentially a long brick wall that held the urban edge of corner and street and returned to house a few bedrooms in the place of the former stalls,” says architect Shaun Carter of Carterwilliamson Architects.
According to Carter, the fabric of the original cowshed was preserved, even though much of it was structurally unsound. What was rebuilt, however, carries the spirit of the cowshed, which was newly composed from simple, robust materials, such as concrete slabs polished as flooring, recycled bricks used for internal walls and structural timbers allowed to be left exposed. Oiled timber doors and windows and corrugated cladding hint at the Australian pastural vernacular, which Carter says is all but forgotten in this rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood.
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4. Beam me up
Richmond Warehouse Conversion, Melbourne
In this modern warehouse conversion in Richmond, Melbourne, stately beams are used to create a lofty conservatory of light. Husband and wife team at K+ARchitects have cleverly integrated rich timber beams, drawing on the industrial heritage of the warehouse.
Richmond Warehouse Conversion, Melbourne
In this modern warehouse conversion in Richmond, Melbourne, stately beams are used to create a lofty conservatory of light. Husband and wife team at K+ARchitects have cleverly integrated rich timber beams, drawing on the industrial heritage of the warehouse.
The main living level is completely open plan, with spaces defined by the reclaimed roof trusses. Light floods via clerestory glazing between the trusses, which are raised up from the original roof.
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5. Tall timbers
A House for Hermes, Philip Island, Victoria
This elegant home is the result of a collaboration between architect Andrew Simpson and his client Charles Anderson, an artist and landscape architect. Sited on the north-west edge of Philip Island, the project involved the conversion of a heritage-listed chicory kiln into a family residence. In this internal view of the dining room, the high timber beams and trusses are on permanent display.
A House for Hermes, Philip Island, Victoria
This elegant home is the result of a collaboration between architect Andrew Simpson and his client Charles Anderson, an artist and landscape architect. Sited on the north-west edge of Philip Island, the project involved the conversion of a heritage-listed chicory kiln into a family residence. In this internal view of the dining room, the high timber beams and trusses are on permanent display.
Upstairs the generous library room looks almost diminutive under a lofty gabled timber ceiling lined with ply.
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6. Grid pattern
Heller Street Park & Residences, Melbourne
This project, by award-winning architectural firm Six Degrees, explores a new model of medium-density housing that utilises disused, contaminated land for public and private use. The site (a former tip) has been remediated and developed into a new public park with 10 generous townhouses.
Heller Street Park & Residences, Melbourne
This project, by award-winning architectural firm Six Degrees, explores a new model of medium-density housing that utilises disused, contaminated land for public and private use. The site (a former tip) has been remediated and developed into a new public park with 10 generous townhouses.
The private terraces at the front of each home are deliberately open to pay homage to the way local Greek and Italian migrants like to relax on their front porches while still interacting with the community and passers-by. The modern pergola over the courtyards can however still be used to support fruiting and flowering vines – an idea inspired by Southern European outdoor living spaces.
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TELL US
Could you live in a house that features raw timber trusses or metal framework?
MORE
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Factory-Fitted: Best Warehouse Conversions From Melbourne to NYC
Houzz Tour: Recycled Timber Makes Room in the Family Nest
See more of this project
TELL US
Could you live in a house that features raw timber trusses or metal framework?
MORE
Vaulted Ceilings: Are They Right for Your Next Home?
Factory-Fitted: Best Warehouse Conversions From Melbourne to NYC
Houzz Tour: Recycled Timber Makes Room in the Family Nest
Cross-Stitch House, Melbourne
This house, in the inner city of Melbourne, Victoria, has an amazing extension, which features the construction’s exposed framework. It was designed by FMD Architects and called Cross-Stitch House for the way the structural elements blended, or were ‘stitched’ together, with the older part of a single-storey terrace.
Sited on a small 5m-wide block, the new open-plan extension takes advantage of the length of the outdoor space by adding extra framework ‘spines’ along one of the boundary fences, creating a sense of unravelling.