Flooring has always been a vital aesthetic

component of the interior design scheme. Now, with

TECHNOLOGY on the move, ANNA GUERRERO discovers how PRACTICAL and SUSTAINABLE

considerations have been added to the narrative,

defining a new chapeter in contemporary flooring.

Floor it

Woven Image | 1800 888 650 | wovenimage.com

Well-designed interiors consider materials and products right down to the smallest detail. Without functional, thoughtful fixtures and fittings a design loses its integrity. On the other hand, well-designed, quality finishes and products make good design great.

Stormtech has been at the forefront of drainage innovations for residential environments for over a quarter of a century, ensuring the finer details and functioning of a building are taken care of. Adequate drainage plays an integral role in the entire building system – and its proper implementation and selection is crucial.

Successful drainage solutions call for the consideration of key design elements. In the bathroom, we are heavily influenced by the way drainage might be incorporated into an existing layout, or by waterproofing requirements. Properties located close to a surf beach will require extra precautions, such as electro-polishing to avoid corrosion of stainless steel grates.

For outdoor projects, access to existing plumbing and drainage systems is crucial to placement of drainage, whereas new building sites having the advantage of allowing

habitus promotion › Stormtech #176issue #25 habitusliving.com

Quality design

for systems to be located beneficially from the outset. For balcony installations, the depth of profile allowance within balcony spaces and flow rates of the drainage system must be considered.

Precise placement of the linear drain is also crucial to its efficiency. Linear systems are uniquely designed to sit parallel to walls or access points, and flush against the floor to ensure maximum surface coverage and superior drainage.

One of the most respected drainage manufacturers and suppliers in Australia, Stormtech is committed to delivering the highest quality drainage solutions. Their range includes linear drains, tile insert drains, square drains, threshold drains and vinyl clamps, as well as special assemblies and slot drains for landscaping applications. And their skilled specialists are well-equipped to provide bespoke solutions for your custom designs.

All Stormtech products are certified WaterMarked and have US UPC and Canadian CSA approval; with a proud commitment to eco-friendly design, they offer the only linear drainage product in the world with Global GreenTag certification.

On an emotional level, the design choices we make represent our personality and values; on a functional level, great design choices makes our lives better.

Above | Stormtech drainage SyStemS provide flexible deSign poSSibilitieS and a contemporary aeSthetic.

Stormtech (61 2) 4423 1989 | stormtech.com.au

HAB25_Stormtech_adv_01.indd 1 17/07/2014 12:48 pm

# 1773. on location

Grounding narratives

The floor is where the building greets your feet, where we make a marked separation between the outer world and the inner world,” explains ar-chitect, Carol Marra, director of

Marra + Yeh. “Throughout Asia this is ac-knowledged by people having to remove their shoes before stepping inside.” Marra describes an appreciation of flooring that goes beyond its function as a surface finish, but also creates a symbolic, as well as physical, foundation for all building projects.

In tune with this idea is the concern that as well as being durable, floors must also be pleasant to walk on. Traditionally this function was largely fulfilled through aesthetics, seen historically through the likes of decorated floor tiles and timber floor boards, but in light of new technologies this standard has become increasingly more complex.

“As we face up to a world of diminishing resources, flooring products have incorporated recycled materials, engineered timber and bamboo,” explains Marra. “Coatings have also developed to be hard-wearing but low in toxicity.”

Other environmental considerations include the need for thermal mass in particular areas, whether in-floor heating is present, and the acoustic impacts between floors.

Another challenge that exists for architects and designers is to filter through the plethora of imported materials and select those that respond to specific regional climates. “It’s imperative that

architects consider what materials are available locally and how they are sourced,” says Marra, drawing on her experience working across Australia and Malaysia. “For example we tend to work with local timbers because we know they are less likely to swell and shrink with the climate and thus prevent long-term problems.”

In collaboration with these environmental concerns, the role of flooring within the over-all interior scheme remains vital. “The floor of an interior is the fundamental ‘canvas’ upon which the other finishes and colours are lay-ered, so it is important aesthetically as well as practically,“ says Meryl Hare, principal of Hare + Klein. “The floor also gets the most wear and tear of all interior finishes, so it is worth selecting the best you can afford in your preferred flooring material.”

Hare points to natural materials, such as tim-ber, stone, bamboo and concrete as her personal favourites, and suggests careful consideration of their application. “A combination of timber and stone can be used together to visually break up large areas or link interior and exterior floors,” she says.

With this advice in mind, quality, technology and aesthetics come together to create a new framework that is paving the way for successful contemporary flooring.

For more flooring ideas visit habitusliving.com/issue25/flooring

issue #25 habitusliving.com

Inspired by the siteWanaka House is located in an ecological and environmentally sustainable subdivision known as Emerald Bluffs on the west side of Lake Wanaka. The house is carefully nestled into a site on the edge of a hillside and within highly protected native vegetation. The land is zoned ‘Outstanding Landscape’ requiring the most onerous planning application.

On top of the sustainable aspects of the site, the client required the highest standards of mitigating operational energy use within the house. An Emerald Bluffs site-specific rating tool has been developed by the owner and the house scored 80 out of a maximum of 99. Sustainable initiatives include: use of local native sustainable timbers for all internal lining (no plasterboard), locally sourced schist, low-e glass, high insulation, high thermal mass to roof, floor and walls, low energy-use lighting, high-efficiency heat hump heating, solar PV and water heating, wetback water heating, onsite storm water and sewage management, locally sourced water and more.

The house is benched into the schist rock geology of the sloping site. We have therefore sought to create a tilted stone base that ‘drives’ out of the ground in a way that is reminiscent of the local rocky Central Otago landscape. This establishes ‘new landscape’ that we have placed a glass and timber pavilion upon, which houses the majority of the living and sleeping functions. The entry sequence invites you into the ‘subterranean’ zone past an Inglenook fireplace and then up a staircase to the main living level. A 180 degree route leads you though the social kitchen and dining zone to the living room overlooking the tree tops to the northern aspect of the lake.

RTA Studio

ARCHITECT RTA studioSTRUCTURAL, CIVIL ENGINEER Harris Foster Consulting

ENVIRONMENTAL,

MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL

ENGINEER eCubed Building Workshop

RTA STUDIO(64) 9360 3313rtastudio.co.nz

FINISHESMain materials are recycled Rimu, concrete tinted with black oxide, polished schist tiles and stone sourced from the local Southern Alps.

# 1793. on location

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– Falmec E.ion® System.

J000753 F H#25 FP ƒ.indd 1 27/06/2014 5:05 pmHAB25_Abey.indd 1 4/07/2014 10:51 am

ARCHITECT HYLA Architects PROJECT TEAM Han Loke Kwang, Watinee Raojduang

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER GNG Consultants(Li Ming)MAIN CONTRACTOR V-Tech Construction (Lua Seng Teck)

PHOTOGRAPHER Derek Swalwell

HYLA ARCHITECTS (65) 63242488hyla.com.sg

FINISHESIn Pool, Hokkaido HK-04 gloss from Equinox. In Bathroom, Less White SQ homogenous tile from Rice Fields, Bisazza Marilyn tiles from Sinbor and Reece Cenere Nat SQ homogenous tile from Rice Fields.

Unprosaic mosaicsThe floor is the base of any space. The color, texture, pattern and size of the flooring material thus has a huge impact on the ambience of the space.

The two examples here – the swimming pool and the bathroom – use two different approaches to the choice of the flooring. For the swimming pool, the idea is to contrast, to stand out. The blue of the pool is inviting, evocative, brilliant and strong. On the other hand, for the bathroom, the color tones are all complementary, it is about harmony, matching with the timber screen and the floor. What stands out here is the planting at the balcony.

The main living space on the first storey uses a polished epoxy screed finish. Originally the client wanted a polished concrete finish but we choose this as it had a finer quality and the colour was more in keeping with the rest of the scheme. The timber deck and external screen uses a treated acetylated timber (radiata Pine) called Accoya wood. This type of timber has a very low moisture content and

thus was dimensionally stable, an important consideration for such a intricate design. The swimming pool uses blue glass mosaic tiles to add color and as a strong contrast to the more natural and muted grey granite and timber color. The bedrooms have Brazilian Teak which was selected as the colour matches closely with the Accoya timber. The attic bathroom (shown in the image) has a lovely golden glass mosaic walls with a matching homogenous tile floor. For the rest of the design, a finely detailed, intricately patterned screen envelopes the side facade and main gate of this semi-detached house in Singapore. Located on a tight site alongside a busy road, privacy was a main consideration. The screen is designed to have different densities at various heights to maximise privacy yet allowing views out. The screen also serves to shade this facade from the morning sun.

HYLA Architects

The only rangehoods that sanitise the air.

V I C T O R I A

Selection Gallery208 York StSouth MelbournePh: 03 8696 4000

N E W S O U T H W A L E S

Selection Gallery1E Danks StWaterlooPh: 02 8572 8500

Q U E E N S L A N D

Selection Gallery94 Petrie TceBrisbanePh: 07 3369 4777

* O P E N I N G S O O N *

W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A

Selection Gallery 12 Sundercombe Street Osborne Park WA 6017Ph: 08 9446 8255

V I C T O R I ASelection Gallery208 York StSouth MelbournePh: 03 8696 4000

N E W S O U T H W A L E SSelection Gallery1E Danks StWaterlooPh: 02 8572 8500

Q U E E N S L A N DSelection Gallery94 Petrie TceBrisbanePh: 07 3369 4777

* O P E N I N G S O O N *W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I ASelection Gallery 12 Sundercombe Street Osborne ParkPh: 08 9446 8255

Pure Air Factory

Falmec. The innovative E.ion® System technology applied to the new collection of rangehoods from Falmec, not only reduces odours, but also restores the ionic balance for an optimal healthy living environment. Specialised laboratories certify the efficiency of the E.ion® System technology, declaring an odour reduction of over 70%.

– Falmec E.ion® System.

J000753 F H#25 FP ƒ.indd 1 27/06/2014 5:05 pmHAB25_Abey.indd 1 4/07/2014 10:51 am

3. on location # 181

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Le mon houseIn my opinion, flooring is probably one of the most important materials in any space because that is usually the most contact a human being has with a space. So, first and foremost, the floor has to texturally feel good and true to its materiality at the feet’s touch. The colour and pattern of the floor is considered secondarily depending on the intention and context of the space.

The ground floor in this project is polished concrete and on the first floor is Merbau timber floor strips. Polished concrete was chosen because of its appearance of homogeneity that suits the theme of the client’s relationship to Chinese antiques, while upstairs a timber floor was used to add an element of warmth to the bedroom and TV area.

For the main project, a supposedly simple renovation to a 1.5 storey mid-terrace house for a mother and daughter developed into an extensive one complete with intricate details inspired by the client’s openness to ideas. Upon entry, the red ‘monster’ door is a dominant feature of the frontage and pays homage to large Chinese temple doors. The ground floor main living areas have an open linear arrangement from the front to the rear of the house. Parts of the architecture are made minimal to allow the owner’s extensive collection of Chinese antiques to feature.

The central courtyard was introduced to inter-connect the spaces and to provide light. The living room was lifted to have a visual expansion with the first floor. Above the living room, one can enjoy the view of the surrounding forests and hills in a secret rooftop garden.

Fabian Tan

DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE Fabian Tan

FABIAN TAN ARCHITECT(60) 12 974 9511fabian-tan.com

3. on location # 183

COMMUNITY

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New stories from across the Region, every day.

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HAB25_HabLiving_01.indd 116 28/07/2014 4:35 pm

House houseAustralia has the largest houses in the world. There are few topographical constraints to force homes to have a small footprint. This is unfortunate as many of the best homes around the world are modest in size and maximise what precious outdoor space there is.

Instead, we go wide and low. We pancake our homes. We eat up our outdoor space. Often people move to the suburbs under the false logic that they will have an abundance of open space and room for kids to play. However, the enormous size of houses now makes this a convenient myth rather than a true outcome. This can result in car dependence and children’s isolation from a rich and diverse urban community.

These neighbouring terrace homes are owned by two generations of one family. Both houses were in need of repair and update. HOUSE House is a single building that extends both homes. They are separate homes within one architecture. The new structure runs north/south while the original houses run east/west. With HOUSE House we deliberately went vertical. We stacked spaces three levels high. As part of this, we maximised the backyard on a small site.

The yard is lawn and recycled brick. We’ve tried to blur the line between hard and soft landscaping rather then constructing a hard edge that separates the garden.

Internally, the flooring defines and separates the original house and the new house. The original Baltic Pine floor has been re-finished, while the new floor in the kitchen is Victorian Ash. Separating the new and the old is a lightwell. Here we have large sheets of hardwood plywood which runs along the floor and up the wall.

The key to making a modest-sized home flourish is to provide a number of spaces with various personalities. The active family/living spaces don’t need to be large, yet they must have loose boundaries. It creates a vibrant way of life that sprawl and car dependence could never achieve.

Andrew Maynard

ARCHITECT Andrew Maynard ArchitectsDESIGN Andrew MaynardPROJECT TEAM Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Michael Ong

PHOTOGRAPHER Peter Bennetts

ANDREW MAYNARD ARCHITECTS(61 3) 94815110maynardarchitects.com

FINISHESSpotted Gum, Baltic Pine and Victorian Ash flooring by Big River Timbers.

3. on location # 185

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HaciendaOn the fringe of Melbourne’s inner suburbs, this new family home sits in an established residential street of Victorian villas and Californian bungalows. From the footpath, the Fairfield Hacienda with its angled roof fits into the landscape of single-level homes, effortlessly picking up the street’s original pattern of hipped and gabled roof forms

The design of the house was conceived of in two parts, base and roof. The grey concrete block base is hollowed out to form the courtyard and living spaces; punched openings create the impression of windows. The roof, a warm Cedar folded plane, floats above, not connecting to the solid base below. A clear juxtaposition of material and form is created between the two parts.

Flooring is a very important element to us in the way we design and conceive of a space. The barefoot experience is always carefully considered as well as the aesthetic, acoustic and thermal qualities of the selected flooring.

In the Fairfield Hacienda the flooring begins with the granitic sand pathways that lead up to the house; they have a pleasing crunch underfoot and seamlessly bleed into the garden beds. The front courtyard is paved with Porphyry in a random pattern. Used on petrol station forecourts throughout Italy, it is an excellent stain-resistant paving. The warm red and tan colouring also makes a tonal connection to the Cedar ceiling inside.

The main living spaces are burnished concrete. Unlike honed concrete, burnished floors possess a beautiful varied surface that appears ages old and warmer in appearance. In the bedrooms carpet was selected. For the parents’ bedroom and study pinkish/coral-coloured carpet creates a lushness that contrasts with the harder surfaces found in the living spaces. In these spaces, the pinky coral carpet reflects a pink hued light onto the surrounding white walls during the day. The carpet enlivens the space and creates an almost ethereal effect.

The Fairfield Hacienda was planned as a long-term family home for the owners. The clients are a family with three young children. They don’t anticipate a time that they will move houses. The house was designed to grow with the family as they established themselves in the community and as the children grow older and more independent.

Antony Martin

ARCHITECT mrtn ArchitectsINTERIOR DESIGN Antony Martin

PROJECT TEAM Antony Martin, Steve Jones

MRTN ARCHITECTS (61 3) 9329 4145MRTN.com.au

FINISHESIn Hallway, Escape Velour Marilyn carpet from Supertuft and Abyss Split Stone tiles from Eco Outdoor. In Bedroom, Escape Velour Marilyn carpet from Supertuft, curtain fabric from SvenskaKJ and Silhouette Table Light from Ross Gardam.

3. on location # 187

Durable, versatile, easy to install and care for, vinyl is a practical flooring option – now for the design conscious. Advances in technology open vinyl up to endless colour, shape and weave options, and mean they no longer need to be made with toxic materials. Bolon’s new environmentally responsible range SILENCE, inspired by the Swedish environment, is a perfect example.

bolon.com.au

Another product coveted for its natural patterning is marble, luxurious-looking with enough movement to give it character. Available in various tones that make it versatile, marble can be used in many types of dwellings, as well as rooms. Skheme’s ARIANA range of tiles are a silver grey marble, with natural variation. The soft tone allows for both a soft neutral or sharp contrasting palette, depending on whether you choose to pair with white or black.

skheme.com

Tiles have been used – for their decorative element and hard-wearing properties – over centuries, to cover walls, roofs, floors and even tables and smaller objects. With glazes of all colours, tiles can be decorated in literally endless ways, matched or mismatched to create a unique space. These ENCAUSTIC CEMENT TILES by Bespoke Tile & Stone, suitable for indoors and outdoors, have the charm of a chalky matte finish and a subtle patina that develops with time, imbuing a space with the tangible feel of wellbeing. In a variety of lively patterns, colours and shapes, the tiles encourage creativity.

earp.com.au

Rugs are the flooring option that create the most warmth. Not only does a rug make a space cosy but can act as a feature of art. Made from various materials from synthetics to wool, they range hugely in feel and look. UNO, from NODI Rugs, is hand made in India, with a wool base and viscose detailing.

nodirugs.com

Some might say timber is the King of flooring material. Its natural tones and organic irregularities create a friendly, warm feel. In an environmentally conscious climate, reclaimed timber flooring is on the rise and rise. Colonial Trading Company have joined the movement, sourcing old timber from dilapidated warehouses and kampong village houses of Malaysia, and using them in collaboration with a range of designers and artisans.

colonialtrading.com.au

issue #25 habitusliving.com