The Avenel House
Situated on an expansive property in Central Victoria in south-eastern Australia, overlooking vineyards, the design of this four-bedroom house has been inspired by the dynamic landscape elements of this exposed rural setting. Ecological conditions have been used to generate formal and spatial elements in the design. The modeling of the dynamic forces of wind and sun on the skin of the building has produced a ‘performance envelope’ wherein the ecological conditions serve to assist to sculpt the building form.
The house incorporates passive and active thermal devices. The house is orientated to the north, to the views and to allow solar penetration during the winter months. Local granite quarried from the site provides considerable thermal mass to assist in warming the house in winter. Custom designed windscoops positioned on the roof of the house use electrically powered louvres to capture and amplify favourably cool southerly winds in summer. Fixed ventilation to the sub floor space also allows for ventilation.
Timber louvres on the east and west elevations complete the aesthetic of the performance shell and shade the house during summer months. Water is supplied not only by a nearby dam, but is harvested from the roof. Storm water is redistributed throughout the site.
The relationship of the house to the site was critical to the project. Simultaneously nestled into the granite hillside and cantilevered out from the sloping ground, the house has a contrasting sense of mass and lightness. The house crouches low enough so that the silhouette of the brow of the hill is not disturbed. The house combines a lightweight metal skin with a more grounded stone and concrete base. Strathbogie granite has been quarried from the site, cut and laid to form a strong relationship between the house and the landscape. The soft greys, whites and subtle, warm orange/brown flickers inherent in the local stone determine a particular palette of warm whites, greys and rich timber stains. The subtle application of this palette accentuates the stonework throughout the house’s interior and exterior.
The plan bends along the contours of the hillside into a chevron which embraces the view. Bedrooms and the living room are strung along the contours, connected by a long corridor. The master bedroom is at one end of the house and other bedrooms and bunkroom at the other.
When viewed in section, the house is designed for ease of access to surrounding areas, so that a choice of areas is made available. Thus people can use the deck outside the living room, the pool deck, a terraced area at ground level near the pool, and the courtyard near the kitchen.
Steps allow children to run up the hill, and a full-scale Australian Rules football oval - complete with goal-posts - is built into the site.
The house design was completed integrally with the Landscape Architect’s scheme. Rather than domesticate the dwelling by the addition of a discrete garden, the objectives for the site were to connect the residence with the open undulating rural landscape, thereby enhancing the intimacy of the house within the vast rural setting.
Credits:
Builder: BD Projects
Structural Engineer: Felicetti Pty Ltd
Civil Engineer: Wirrawonga
Building Surveyor: BSGM
Quantity Surveyor: Prowse Quantity Surveyors
Land Surveyor: Eric Salter Pty Ltd
Landscape Architect: Fiona Harrisson
Landscape Contractor: Brad Ferrier Construction
Stonemason: Broadhurst Stone Houses
Stone cutters: Layton Granite Industries
Fireplace consultant: Kenneth Innes-Irons
Alucobond Installers: City Clad
Time to Complete: 16 months
External Materials: Strathbogie Granite (on site), Alucobond, Merbau decking, Bluescope steel Lysaght Klip-Lok roof decking and wall cladding (Surfmist)
Internal Materials: Strathbogie Granite (on site), seasoned Brushbox floorboards, Dulux paint, Feltex carpet
Fixtures and Fittings: Caroma Bathroom & Laundry fixtures, Quarella reconstituted stone kitchen & vanity bench tops, Laminex joinery laminate, New City Ceramics bathroom & ensuite tiles