Some brief research about the exemplars and why they are so interesting. Information are cited and referenced (click on the link, it should direct you to the source site) - just thought I'd share. =) Happy Reading!
Oh and while I was researching I was thinking about the three aspects that we have to cover - House is an Environmental filter, House is a container for human activities and House is a delightful experience. It seems that I will be able to cover all three as I'm getting the perception that the Stretto House will be mainly about being a delightful experience; the Samford House will have information about being an environmental filter and I get the impression that the Taringa House & Studio will have the container of human activities aspect. The notes in dotpoints and grey writing are my opinion/ analysis which follow the research notes for every house. So it's all set...
For Stretto House:
Information below is from The Steven Holl Architects website: http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?id=26&worldmap=true
- Located adjacent to three ponds with existing dams, the house projects the character of the site through a series of concrete 'spatial dams' with metal framed 'aqueous space' flowing through them.
- the building consists of two modes: heavy orthogonal masonry and light, curvilinear metal.
- floor planes pull one space to the next, roof planes pull space over walls and an arched walls pull light from a skylight.
This house seems to offer a really delightful experience! Looks like a paradise! Here are some awesome photos:
(Top Image:http://arquitecturadecasas.blogspot.com/2008/09/stretto-house.html . Bottom Image:http://www.dougnewby.com/Architecture/Architecturally%20Significant/strettohouse.asp)
Information below is from Ferschin & Gremelhofer (2004):
- The building is an architectonic (new word for me) representation of a piece by Bela Bartok: "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste".
- As the four movements of the music elaborate on the contrast between light (strings) and heavy (percussion), the architecture consists of four massive parts connected with light framework.
References:
(Ferschin, P. & Gramelhofer, A. 2004. Architecture as Information Space: Eighth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV'04), Vienna Austria, July 2004. Vienna: Vienna University of Technology)
MORE ON THE STRETTO HOUSE: I found an ebook which mentions the stretto house through google. Here's a link to it: http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ZhYg30P7QI0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA53&dq=steven+holl+stretto+house&ots=BnxDUFyJA6&sig=RGDuR7GSznTFVJG6YduZ6lsfVi8#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Now for the Samford House:
Very hard to find information on mainly because it's still quite new and whenever I research on the architect, Chris Bligh or Bligh Graham Architects... the search comes up with Bligh Voller Nield - not the person I'm looking for! Anyways, its very modern and addresses sustainability issues, which seems to becoming an emerging practice for architects in our time. I only got two pages of research for now but here goes!
Sourced from Specifier Magazine Issue 84, Bligh Graham Architects: Samford House. http://www.specifier.com.au/pastissues/38633/Bligh-Graham-Architects.html
- external timber batten screens and wrap-around pebbled courtyard give the zen-like qualities of a Japanese guest house.
- geographical location: the outer boundary of the consolidated build fabric that is Samford Village; the edge of civilisation; beyond which are only rural properties and bushland and national park.
- an 'occupied ruin' theme: comes out in the hanging-gardens-of-Babylon balcony, where box plantings sprawl along the top of white-rendered masonry walls.
- addressed the needs of the client: semi-retired couple - as it refelcts the pragmatic mindset that comes with life experience and the slowing pace of retirement. On the other hand, it reflects the client's young-at-heart interests, from ample spaces, large toyroom, small pool, large caravan and boat store, outdoor kitchen and three bedrooms.
- true spirit of environmentally sustainable development and intergenerational equity - home has extremely passive impact on the environment: moisturised clerestory louvres.
- applied thermal mass properties on construction.
OTHER SITES I PLAN TO REVISIT FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.subtropicaldesign.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=45 (this is a conference proceeding, I think).
This one is from a database: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=8&sid=9d536218-ac4e-4083-8b07-81ad442be9dc%40sessionmgr10
Lastly, Rex Addison's Taringa House & Studio.
It got a bit confusing because Addison designed a house at Taringa before this one, and he also designed a speculative house, which is also in Taringa. I'm pretty sure this is the right one. Surprisingly, I found a lot of information on Rex Addison and the Taringa House & Studio. They were mainly periodicals - I'm still trying to see if there's a book about him and his works. NO LUCK SO FAR. =)
I have a couple of sources - but this is the one that I've read so far from Rex Addison Architect's Website: http://www.rexaddison.com.au/buildings/taringa_house_and_studio.php. The information below came from this site. I've listed the other sources at the end of this post.
- the house was designed and built in the late 1990's and it was the extended back garden of Addison's parent's home. The original home was sold as a subdivided front lot.
- the Studio was built first, constructed in the method of single skin construction (have to find out what that means).
- the roof is sloped to catch light from north and turned at valleys at either end to give views back to the south into the garden.
- consideration for existing trees and man-made features.
Pictures below are from the same source: (also have floorplans, sections, etc.)
Other resources you may want to check out:
Note: some of the website may not work because I got them from databases - so you're going to need to log in to QUT library first, and even so, the url may not take you to the actual article just the database. Let me know if you really want to check the website for information! I will be referencing them properly once I've decided on one exemplar.
So here's what I got so far!
Oh and while I was researching I was thinking about the three aspects that we have to cover - House is an Environmental filter, House is a container for human activities and House is a delightful experience. It seems that I will be able to cover all three as I'm getting the perception that the Stretto House will be mainly about being a delightful experience; the Samford House will have information about being an environmental filter and I get the impression that the Taringa House & Studio will have the container of human activities aspect. The notes in dotpoints and grey writing are my opinion/ analysis which follow the research notes for every house. So it's all set...
For Stretto House:
Information below is from The Steven Holl Architects website: http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?id=26&worldmap=true
- Located adjacent to three ponds with existing dams, the house projects the character of the site through a series of concrete 'spatial dams' with metal framed 'aqueous space' flowing through them.
- the building consists of two modes: heavy orthogonal masonry and light, curvilinear metal.
- floor planes pull one space to the next, roof planes pull space over walls and an arched walls pull light from a skylight.
This house seems to offer a really delightful experience! Looks like a paradise! Here are some awesome photos:
(Top Image:http://arquitecturadecasas.blogspot.com/2008/09/stretto-house.html . Bottom Image:http://www.dougnewby.com/Architecture/Architecturally%20Significant/strettohouse.asp)
Information below is from Ferschin & Gremelhofer (2004):
- The building is an architectonic (new word for me) representation of a piece by Bela Bartok: "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste".
- As the four movements of the music elaborate on the contrast between light (strings) and heavy (percussion), the architecture consists of four massive parts connected with light framework.
References:
(Ferschin, P. & Gramelhofer, A. 2004. Architecture as Information Space: Eighth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV'04), Vienna Austria, July 2004. Vienna: Vienna University of Technology)
- The concept behind Stretto house - its relationship to a piece of music makes this house a delightful experience in an expression and aesthetic sense. I found some information on the structure of the house - not quite sure yet about the aspect of being a container for human activities. In terms of environmental filter, it seems to have the ability of bringing light in...
- The curve roofs is a stand out and also its specific location - next to three ponds!
MORE ON THE STRETTO HOUSE: I found an ebook which mentions the stretto house through google. Here's a link to it: http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ZhYg30P7QI0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA53&dq=steven+holl+stretto+house&ots=BnxDUFyJA6&sig=RGDuR7GSznTFVJG6YduZ6lsfVi8#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Now for the Samford House:
Very hard to find information on mainly because it's still quite new and whenever I research on the architect, Chris Bligh or Bligh Graham Architects... the search comes up with Bligh Voller Nield - not the person I'm looking for! Anyways, its very modern and addresses sustainability issues, which seems to becoming an emerging practice for architects in our time. I only got two pages of research for now but here goes!
Sourced from Specifier Magazine Issue 84, Bligh Graham Architects: Samford House. http://www.specifier.com.au/pastissues/38633/Bligh-Graham-Architects.html
- external timber batten screens and wrap-around pebbled courtyard give the zen-like qualities of a Japanese guest house.
- geographical location: the outer boundary of the consolidated build fabric that is Samford Village; the edge of civilisation; beyond which are only rural properties and bushland and national park.
- an 'occupied ruin' theme: comes out in the hanging-gardens-of-Babylon balcony, where box plantings sprawl along the top of white-rendered masonry walls.
- addressed the needs of the client: semi-retired couple - as it refelcts the pragmatic mindset that comes with life experience and the slowing pace of retirement. On the other hand, it reflects the client's young-at-heart interests, from ample spaces, large toyroom, small pool, large caravan and boat store, outdoor kitchen and three bedrooms.
- true spirit of environmentally sustainable development and intergenerational equity - home has extremely passive impact on the environment: moisturised clerestory louvres.
- applied thermal mass properties on construction.
- Personally, after researching on the Samford House, I wonder if the house is as sustainable as it could be because despite the technology and structure that make it environmentally-friendly, the size of the house is waaaaaaay too big. There seems to be unnecessary and excess use of space - a workshop room, boat store and a pool, etc. If it was really sustainable, I believe the rooms should be multi-functional and meet only the necessities. Seeing as the clients are semi-retired, they must be looking to indulge themselves - and Chris Bligh, I suppose, met their needs.
- I also got some more information from this website: http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2008047173. It contains information about the Samford House in the architect's words and pictures (below) are also sourced from this site.
OTHER SITES I PLAN TO REVISIT FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.subtropicaldesign.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=45 (this is a conference proceeding, I think).
This one is from a database: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=8&sid=9d536218-ac4e-4083-8b07-81ad442be9dc%40sessionmgr10
Lastly, Rex Addison's Taringa House & Studio.
It got a bit confusing because Addison designed a house at Taringa before this one, and he also designed a speculative house, which is also in Taringa. I'm pretty sure this is the right one. Surprisingly, I found a lot of information on Rex Addison and the Taringa House & Studio. They were mainly periodicals - I'm still trying to see if there's a book about him and his works. NO LUCK SO FAR. =)
I have a couple of sources - but this is the one that I've read so far from Rex Addison Architect's Website: http://www.rexaddison.com.au/buildings/taringa_house_and_studio.php. The information below came from this site. I've listed the other sources at the end of this post.
- the house was designed and built in the late 1990's and it was the extended back garden of Addison's parent's home. The original home was sold as a subdivided front lot.
- the Studio was built first, constructed in the method of single skin construction (have to find out what that means).
- the roof is sloped to catch light from north and turned at valleys at either end to give views back to the south into the garden.
- consideration for existing trees and man-made features.
Pictures below are from the same source: (also have floorplans, sections, etc.)
- Resembles a tree house - I can imagine the space to be very calming and have a strong sense of connectedness to the nature.
- I'm really liking the way he built the house and studio - separating work from play, rest, etc. The pathway to the studio and the garden beds are probably the delightful experience of this place.
Other resources you may want to check out:
http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=200505&article=11&typeon=2
- http://proquest.umi.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/pqdweb?index=0&did=62751102&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1267152986&clientId=14394&cfc=1
- http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=8&sid=f5b104e1-8b7c-4d35-8937-8e425732ee98%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#toc
- http://www.subtropicalcities2006.qut.edu.au/documents/Papers%20Page/Papers/Musgrave%20-%20Architecture's%20Responsiveness%20.pdf
- http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=8&sid=8a2edf12-8993-48d8-9647-3454e36e284e%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=anh&AN=4105414
Note: some of the website may not work because I got them from databases - so you're going to need to log in to QUT library first, and even so, the url may not take you to the actual article just the database. Let me know if you really want to check the website for information! I will be referencing them properly once I've decided on one exemplar.
So here's what I got so far!
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