Houses
Pru Oliveri enjoys the warm industrial
aesthetic of the living area.
Trade
Craft
text: Clare Kennedy photography: Derek Swalwell
This concrete house in Torquay uses a
procession of spaces to strike the right
note between the public and private realms.
houses 41
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Operable batten screens mediate dialogue with the street. opposite page The art studio is separated from the house and accessed by an external
courtyard stair.
A sensitive configuration of materials brings a light touch to
this house of concrete. In order to embrace the raw qualities of its
untreated state, concrete was paired with hardwood and opened up
to sky and garden in a home designed for a concreter, an artist, their
child and two dogs.
The architects of Torquay Concrete House are Kate Fitzpatrick
and Ben Stibbard, co-directors of Auhaus. Winning a commendation
for this house at the 2016 Victorian Architecture Awards cemented
their reputation for responsive homes on the Bellarine peninsula.
When the client approached with a slew of ideas, Auhaus
suggested a fresh angle. “We said, ‘let's pare it back and make it
all about your trade, your craft’,” Ben explains. “There was a real
opportunity there because of the client’s skill set.”
For the owner-builder, being a concrete business owner helped
mitigate the expense; it was a great solution. The use of concrete
also suited a site subject to brutal coastal weather conditions.
While there are sustainability issues with concrete, its positive
attributes include strength and longevity, and no applied finish or
maintenance is needed. However, the greatest benefit for the project
was the high level of thermal mass, allowing the building to enjoy
stable temperatures year round.
Located in the Torquay Sands estate, backing onto wetlands and
a golf course, the 500-square-metre site is hemmed in by volume
housing, and sits on a corner vulnerable to the glare of swinging
headlights.
“Our clients didn’t want to feel like they were in suburbia. They
wanted to feel as if they were down the coast with big sky and
ocean. The challenge was to create an internalised environment
where they didn’t feel the impact of neighbours, and could enjoy
framed views of the landscape and wetlands beyond,” Kate says.
“It’s always a fine dance between opening up the house to views,
creating a dialogue with the street and being part of the community
without feeling like you’re on show,” Ben adds.
The right note was struck with an open carport at the front and
an art studio above, both offering a subtle exchange between the
public and private realms. One side of the carport is lined with
battened screening, inviting glimpses into the entry courtyard
and suggesting activity within. The art studio is sheathed in a
translucent perspex wall.
“We wanted the effect of a lantern at night so you can see the
silhouette of people behind,” Kate says. She describes the layout as
a “procession of spaces”, from the portal in the front wall to a tiny
verdant courtyard leading to the interior. The home opens into a
double-height gallery wrapped around a grassy north-facing central
courtyard. A broad entrance hall lined with massive timber-framed
windows gathers the outside in, and a generous bench seat offers a
moment for relaxation and interaction with those outside.
“The idea was to make a connection with outdoor spaces all
through the house, with curated views framed by batten screens
that can be opened and closed at will,” Kate says. >
houses 43
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Cross-hatched concrete beams with timber infill soften the living spaces. opposite page top left The upper level overlooks native planted roof
gardens. right Master bedroom with concrete plinth displaying books and artwork. bottom left Natural materials and simple joinery in the main
bathroom create a luxurious industrial feel. right The oversized central hallway acts as a congregation space in lieu of a second living room.
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Even as you walk through the corridor, you can look up and
see the sky upstairs. The main living area also views the central
courtyard, and a little loft bedroom upstairs gazes into it, enjoying
a private rooftop garden.
“The landscape has been key to making it work. Plants drape the
edge of the concrete fascia so it feels lush and verdant in the main
courtyard. The outside areas and rooftop garden are planted with
local varieties, connecting the house to the dune landscape around
the golf course. The house feels embedded in the site, despite the
fact it really is in suburbia,” Kate says.
Beauty lies in fine details such as customised door handles,
elegant shrouds spun for light fittings, brass accents making
delicate wall patterns and exposed concrete drop beams that
cross-hatch the ceilings. A staircase leading to sky, and made of
folded steel plates with a long steel balustrade, is a sculptural
44 houses
element conveying lightness and mass. It weighs in at around 900
kilograms.
In keeping with Auhaus’s design ethos, principles of passive
thermal regulation are integral to the design. Deep eaves, crossventilation and the concrete’s inherent thermal mass cool the
house in summer. The roof garden creates a thermal blanket over
the house, and an insulated hydronic infill slab reduces heat loss
into the ground over winter. “They barely have to use heating and
cooling,” Kate says.
A sustainable composite material was used in the cupboards,
and a 10,000-litre subterranean rainwater tank under the main
courtyard waters the gardens.
For Auhaus and their client, Torquay Concrete House was an
exercise in how far you could push concrete in the making of a
luxuriously pared back home embedded in nature.
Inside.
Outside.
Inside.
Outside.
Specs
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46 houses
The rear of the house displays pleasing geometry as it
overlooks wetlands.
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Image supplied by Austim.
IRON ASH cladding
and battens with
a ‘walnut’ tint.
First Floor Plan
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2
4
12
7
12
3
5
10
1
6
9
10
Ground Floor Plan
1/ entry courtyard
2/ powder room
3/ kitchen
4/ pantry
5/ dining
6/ living
7/ bathroom
8/ study
9/ carport
10/ store
11/ laundry
12/ bedroom
13/ ensuite
14/ deck
15/ studio
16/ roof garden
17/ robe
Image supplied by Austim.
IRON ASH cladding
and battens with
a ‘walnut’ tint.
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@sustainable_hardwoods
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the much
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of this gorgeous
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affordable Australian hardwood fit for external use,
and out – instead of having to specify dense, heavy species
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bygoodwood
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Architect
Auhaus Architecture
auhaus-arch.com
Passive Energy Design
Principals of passive thermal regulation are employed throughout the
house, resulting in stable internal temperatures year round. With a northfacing street frontage, the house is arranged in a courtyard configuration
to capture as much northern light as possible into the living spaces.
South-facing glazing is minimised. Deep concrete eaves protect from the
high summer sun and allow penetration of the low winter sun. Windows
are either protected by these eaves or by battened timber screens that
can be opened or closed to adjust the level of sun penetration. Window
placement encourages cross-ventilation and captures the south-western
coastal breezes. The concrete construction provides a very high level
of thermal mass, which significantly reduces the energy consumed in
heating and cooling of the house and improves thermal comfort for the
occupants. Roof gardens over the whole ground floor level roof further
improve the internal temperatures by creating a thermal blanket over the
house.
Materials
Robust materials were chosen for their ability to withstand the harsh
coastal conditions and to weather over time with little to no maintenance
requirements. The house uses two main materials, insitu concrete and
western red cedar battens and lining board sustainably sourced from
managed plantations. Western red cedar was chosen for its high oil
content and natural anti-fungal properties, which increase the longevity
of the timber in this coastal environment. Externally, the timber has been
finished with Cutek CD50 penetrative oil and will be left to weather off
to a pale silver. Concrete and timber are both used internally as well
as externally, and applied finishes throughout the house have been
minimised. Internal timber has been finished with Osmo hardwax oil.
Cabinetry has been constructed from cedar and solid Paperock, a
sustainable product made from recycled paper bonded with resin.
Insulation
The ground floor is a double concrete slab with R4.0 extruded polystyrene
insulation in between the two layers and hydronic heating within the
second infill slab. By constructing the slab in two layers with insulation
between, the insulation value can be increased as generally it is very
difficult to insulate the cross beams and edge beams of the slab
adequately; a lot of heat is lost through these areas. Walls are either
constructed as a double skin of concrete with R2.0 extruded polystyrene
insulating layer between, or otherwise have concrete to either the inner
or outer face and timber stud and timber lining to the other face with R2.5
bulk insulation within the stud. Roof uses sisilation and R5.0 bulk insulation.
Glazing
Windows are western red cedar frames with low-E double-glazing. The
timber frames are highly energy efficient as they do not conduct heat;
they also perform very well in the coastal environment as they do not
break down due to salt induced corrosion.
Heating and Cooling
Heating: in slab hydronic heating to the ground floor level. Cooling: a
Daikin bulkhead split system cooling unit was installed to the ground floor
kitchen/living area but it is rarely used as the house maintains a stable
temperature throughout the seasons. The upper level of the house has no
heating or cooling.
Hot Water System
Rinnai Infinity 26 Enviro instantaneous gas hot water system.
Water Tanks
A 10,000 L subterranean tank buried beneath the main courtyard irrigates
all the roof gardens and main courtyard.
Lighting
LED lighting throughout. Ceiling lights are 13W down-lights. Wall lights are
custom 34W LED uplighters by Auhaus.