F É T E / L I F E I S S U E N o. 2 8 $ 1 4 .9 5 I N C G S T

F Ê T E / LIF EI S S U E No. 2 8 “…we are reminded that ambition is easy, however it’s the willingness to act that sees dreams turn into reality.”

T H E S O L U T I O N T O A S I M P L E , M E A N I N G F U L , W E L L - D E S I G N E D L I F E /

T H E H I G H / L O W H O M E . . . G E T T H E B A L A N C E R I G H T / D R E A M W I T H O U T L I M I T S . . . K R I S T I N A K A R L S S O N F R O M K I K K I - K S H A R E S H E R E N T R E P R E N E U R I A L S E C R E T S / A S I M P L E G U I D E T O T H R I V I N G . . . P E R S O N A L A N D P R O F E S S I O N A L G R O W T H I N T H R E E S T E P S

p h o t o g ra p h s / S H A N N O N M C G R A T H

i n t r o d u c t i o n / A N N A B E L L E K E R S L A K E

P R O F E S S I O N A L V I E W P O I N T

H O M E D E S I G N W I T H / S T U D I O F O U R

A minimalist approach that considered the owners' family values was at the core of StudioFour’s thoughtful design. The outcome successfully combines the need for a private sanctuary with the demands of family life, while taking into account environmental and health impacts, creating a space where a happy, healthy household can flourish.

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H O W D O E S T H E H O M E ' S D E S I G N A N D F U N C T I O N A L I T Y E N H A N C E T H E I R Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ?

The residence has been designed to provide just the right amount of enclosure but also the right level of exposure. During the briefing stages of the project it was established that the family’s vision for the project was to connect with the environment whilst providing a secure and at times very private home.

On arrival, the entry is defined by a single full height puncture to an otherwise blank façade. The front façade acts as a canvas, capturing the shadows and reflections of a large oak street tree.

Upon entry, one experiences an exaggerated threshold between interior and exterior. The transition zone between the street façade and the primary building façade creates a charge of senses on arrival. In contrast to the modest and simple façade, on entering, spaces unfold, through the private sleeping areas, through the internal garden and connecting glazed bridge to culminate in the main living, cooking and dining area.

Hence the garden must be passed through and experienced to reach the main areas of the house – not only guests coming to the public areas of the home, but the occupants as they move from the public living areas to the private areas of sleeping and bathing. By internalising the garden, not only within the built form but within the site, the garden is cut off from the typical rhythm of the surrounding suburban backyards all in alignment and a highly private, intimate and secure north facing habitat is created. Private areas of sleeping, bathing, study and reading are purposefully concealed from interior sight lines, whilst the public areas in contrast are completely open and connected to the internal garden. Further connections are made between the internal garden and the space around the house, providing a layering of landscape and surrounding built form.

P L E A S E T E L L U S A L I T T L E A B O U T T H E P R O J E C T B R I E F …

Our brief was to place as much significance on the landscape and outdoor spaces as to any of the internal living spaces. Our early workshops established that the landscape was to become not just the surrounds to the architecture but central to it. Capturing the northern light and achieving a high level of privacy was also paramount.

W H A T W E R E T H E S P E C I F I C N E E D S I N C L U D E D A N D P R O V I D E D F O R T H E F A M I L Y T H A T L I V E T H E R E ?

The success of this residence was due to the contribution of our clients, who placed their complete trust in our studio to seek a design strategy unique for them. Their willingness to share thorough insights into their values and lifestyle enabled a result that speaks truly of their family.

It became clear that a key challenge for this residence was to balance the functional requirements for a family with two young children, whilst providing a calming sanctuary required for a professional couple. This lead to the design of a private, acoustically separated, master wing and a secluded second living area for the younger members of the family. This planning strategy enabled the remainder of the house, the heart of the home, to remain fluid and relatively open thus providing an area for maximum family exposure, connection and interaction. The use of a series of sliding doors also allows further acoustic separation when required. At all times the family are encouraged to connect with the landscape, while all internal areas are flooded with natural light and fresh air.

T H E D E T A I L S / L O C A T I O N /G L E N I R I S , V I C T O R I A

A R C H I T E C T U R E /S T U D I O F O U R

I N T E R I O R D E S I G N E R /P R O J E C T T E A M A N N A B E L L E B E R R Y M A N S A R A H H E N R Y

B U I L D E R /M 2 H O M E S

L A N D S C A P E D E S I G N E R /S T U D I O F O U R

S T R U C T U R A L E N G I N E E R /M A R K H O D K I N S O N P T Y L T D C O N S U L T I N G E N G I N E E R S

B U I L D I N G S U R V E Y O R /R E D D O B U I L D I N G S U R V E Y O R S

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F L O O R P L A N

01. Entry02. Garage03. Master Bedroom04. Master Ensuite05. Dining06. Kitchen07. Living08. Laundry + Butler's Pantry09. Drying Cupboard10. Powder11. Study12. Bathroom13. Bedroom Two14. Lounge15. Bedroom Three16. Pool

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D I D Y O U I N C L U D E A N Y E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N T O R E N V I R O N M E N T A L F E A T U R E S I N T H E H O M E ?

When approaching the design of this residence, our aim was to maximise the amount of fresh air and ventilation entering into the home, which is at the core of sustainability. Hence passive cross-ventilation strategies were incorporated into the early design phases. The northern aspect of the site was fully utilised from a passive solar perspective and a planning strategy employed that promoted the opportunity to zone smaller areas to heat in winter.

Additionally the planting of deciduous crepe myrtle trees to the central garden enables the maximum amount of light to enter living areas in the winter whilst foliage helps keep the interior cooler in the warmer months. Access to daylight was maximised, with all windows full height and openable to maximise natural ventilation throughout.

Exceeding energy rating requirements, the residence incorporated high levels of insulation, double-glazing throughout, and double weather seals installed to all perimeter edges for complete weather tightness, in order to again minimise heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter through infiltration. An onsite approach to stormwater collection was achieved, by maximising permeable ground surfaces and directing storm water run-off to garden beds, as well as utilising above-ground water storage. Internally, renewable timber was selected for its natural aesthetic properties, complemented by low energy levels required in its production, which significantly reduced the environmental impact of the new building works.

These core sustainable design principles were teamed with the selection of water-saving fixtures, low-voltage luminaires and low-VOC paints and materials to help strengthen this projects approach to sustainability.

W H A T D O Y O U C O N S I D E R M O S T I M P O R T A N T I N A H O M E ?

In terms of creating a happy home we believe above all else that providing a strong connection to the landscape both real and perceived is paramount. This connection to the landscape obviously creates opportunities to access natural light, fresh air and ventilation. The benefits of connecting with the environment are obviously well documented and one of Studiofour's core design principles.

D O E S T H E D E S I G N O F T H E H O M E T A K E A D V A N T A G E O F T H E L O C A L A R E A A N D L A N D S C A P E ?

Like so many suburban sites, this one offered challenges with its size and orientation, particularly with north facing the street. The house was explored as a single object within the site, punctured with an internal garden.

This approach enabled the new dwelling to turn its back on the adjoining properties, which are all in close proximity and internalise the house to create its own views and harness the northern aspect.

Breaking the form centrally allowed the northern light to enter both the site and the building form, without compromising either visual or acoustic privacy from the street.

Additionally typically, facing windows to the street frontage offers very limited privacy, so a secondary façade system was devised that allowed northern light to enter the master bedroom whilst not compromising on the high level of privacy required.

W H I C H E L E M E N T S O F T H E H O M E D O Y O U T H I N K S U P P O R T T H E E T H O S O F S I M P L E L I V I N G ?

Our challenge was to demonstrate that a custom architectural solution could achieve our client’s vision for a residence with a high level of functionality, yet still be relatively modest, compact and easy to build. Often little thought is put into how buildings affect our health and vitality, Studiofour's core focus was not only to provide a house that exceeded our client brief and expectations but to provide a healthy home for mind, body and soul. This has always been one of Studiofour's core design principles.

Some of the project goals achieved were to limit the use of building materials that release outgas pollutants (VOCs), reduce the exposure to offending allergens (dust mites and pollen), minimise containments brought in from the outside of the home where applicable, maximise opportunities for natural ventilation and forced flushing, as well as maximise opportunities for light and aspect, limit dampness and focus on achieving a healthy level of humidity and minimise electric and magnetic field exposure (EMF).

H O W W O U L D Y O U B E S T D E S C R I B E T H E A E S T H E T I C O F T H E H O M E ?

The design for this house was derived as a framing of outdoor space, the architecture a backdrop for the family’s engagement with the garden. Stripping the architectural language back to white rendered planes, this project became an exploration into enclosing the basic rituals of domestic life within restrained building forms.

The house demonstrates our clients’ vision for an indoor/outdoor fluid environment, and by using pared-back forms and detailing and a restrained palette of materials, the emphasis becomes not on the insular and what has been ‘designed in’, but on the totality of the site and the value of its outdoor connection.

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Whilst the Bourne Road laundry is a shared space with the butlers pantry this allowed it to be linear in format and make more of its space allocation. Purpose chosen fixtures, drawers, fold out ironing boards and hampers, hanging rails and drying cupboards were essential to the success of the space.

Studiofour place great importance on the role of architecture in our health. We believe that to truly enhance human well-being, building design needs to move beyond optimising single parameters such as temperature and humidity, to more holistic approaches that take their cues in health-supporting human behaviours, responses and outcomes. One of the most obvious ways to ensure our client’s well-being was optimised was by allowing and promoting connections with the landscape. Whether connections were formed through the three-and-a-half metre high pivot entrance door that frames the oak street tree, or through the bedhead picture window framing a highly private garden.

We believe connecting to the landscape both real and perceived and by being aware of the seasons both on a macro and micro level, is at the core of being mindful and mindfulness is a key component to our well-being.

During the design stages of the Bourne Road residence the importance of designing for all senses was considered. View corridors to connect with distant landscape as well as more intimate exposures were central to our planning strategy. It is possible to stand at one end of the house and view directly out into the street through a central glazed corridor when the front door is locked into an open position. Additionally as one transitions from space to space, aspects of landscape and the sites urban context are carefully revealed.

A R E T H E R E A S P E C T S O F T H E H O M E T H A T H E L P O R G A N I S A T I O N ?

Bourne Road has been designed to avoid physical settings that are noisy and disorganised. Studiofour recognised that reduced clutter has a profound effect on health and well-being. Our goal was to reduce, organise and conceal unneeded clutter to help improve our client focus and efficiencies, and potentially their stress levels!

We recently came across a quote by Joshua Becker and it phrases Studiofour's vision for this project perfectly,

“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it”.

Every function required was well workshopped and thoroughly investigated. The finished environment is largely clutter-free as an inventory of what was important to the client was established early on in the process. Every item and function has its own clearly defined space. Once these patterns were established and the drawers, fitments and accessories were provided to store or display the item the likelihood of useless disorganised haphazard clutter was largely reduced. Our client was a key driver in helping this become the norm for the house and she is a firm believer the direct correlation between clutter and stress.

The benefits upon the mental psyche of an uncluttered home can improve one’s well-being and thus their life.

There are countless published studies proving that a clean, healthy home coincides with a healthy state of mind.

I S T H E R E A F A V O U R I T E R O O M I N T H E H O M E A N D W H Y ?

We believe one particularly successful area of the house is the parents master bedroom, ensuite and robe. Whilst this area is less than 30 square metres in total area, efficient planning strategy’s such as integrating a linear robe and the functions of an ensuite within the one master bedroom volume allowed us to maximise the function and efficiency of the space while ensuring the floor plan remained compact. Obviously by keeping the floor plate compact the budget was reduced and site area left over could be utilised for garden and increased aspect.

View corridors make the space seem wider and longer. The bedhead wall is composed of floor to ceiling double glazed glass and the bedroom faces north. Additionally secondary solid façade wall to the bedroom courtyard is set off by 1600mm giving room for landscape but controlling views in from the street and achieving total privacy.

D O E S T H E H O M E H E L P M A I N T A I N H E A L T H A N D W E L L - B E I N G ?

Studiofour believe the notion of well-being consists of two key elements – functioning well and feeling good.

In order to ensure our proposed design functioned optimally, early briefing workshops explored our client’s lifestyle both current and proposed, and looked in detail at all their daily rituals. For example how the laundry functioned in their current house and what possibilities were there to improve the focus and outputs of their new laundry was workshopped. Washing cycles, storage of clean and dirty clothes before, after, and during washing were explored. Mechanisms for improving the efficiencies and output agreed.