THE BUILDERS CHOICE residential
“The outcome is a direct response to the design brief and achieves all of the client’s first and second priority items” Rooms with a view The main emphasis on the design was to maximise the views from the property. The existing residence was a gable roofed rectangular structure built boundary to boundary, with views to the west from the rear rooms. The aim with the addition was to maintain the views from the existing rooms while adding new living areas on the west side of the residence. This was achieved by rotating the addition by 15 degrees, thus allowing existing views to be maintained and new picture windows to be formed in the addition facing the view. The rotation also opened up an area to the north side of the addition for an outdoor area and allowed northern sun into the house. The new entry was also rotated on the same angle to provide a connection between the front and back. When you enter the residence you have a glimpse of the view that waits beyond. From a construction viewpoint, the existing building and retaining walls had settled with some cracking but were generally in good order and worth retaining. Great care was taken with the new additions to not place any further load on the existing structure, and the structure was stabilised utilising grout injected pier and concrete beam foundations. The former rendered brick front façade of the house was completely removed to allow for
the addition of a new Scyon clad garage and entry statement. The internal timber frame layout of house was reconfigured, re-using as much of the existing framing as possible, to create a central corridor to lead through to the 5m wide x 2.4 high windows in the living room which frame the view across the city. Upper floor construction was lightweight steel with timber framing, coupled with Sycon cladding and Trimdeck metal roofing. The project had some significant influences, namely the view, working with the existing structure, site and retaining walls, and achieving a northern aspect. Understandably then, the extension is designed specifically for the site, the views and the client. “It is unique to the site (due to the topography), to the location (due to the views) and to the client (due to their unique requirements). The outcome is a direct response to the design brief and achieves all of the client’s first and second priority items”, Ros proudly shares. Due to Albany’s hilly topography and coastal location Tectonics has found itself in a somewhat niche market, building and renovating architecturally designed homes on steep sites to accommodate the views. As a result, it is currently building a home on Torbay Hill overlooking Mutton Bird Island. Projects like Hill Street are not without their challenges – in this
MCB
MCB CONSTRUCTION PTY LTD I Michael Stephen M. 0427 322 269 P: (08) 9842 6271 michael@mcbconstruction.com.au
The Builders Choice Magazine – March 2013 97