projects > residential > airies house
This project was completed in December 2007. The brief was to design a family house on a site in rural south western NSW. For this project we have taken the scale and construction technology of agricultural buildings in this part of the country into consideration. The harsh environment and the massive scale of the site have lead to a design that incorporates a series of enclosed courtyard spaces that provide protection from the elements and in contract to many urban sites, provides shelter and respite from the endless views. In this way also a relatively economical plan can be made to feel generous and expansive by the borrowing of these outdoor spaces into the volume of what is perceived as the 'inside' of the house.
Water sensitive design, an environmentally sustainable construction methodology and hydronic geothermal heating and cooling system have been used to keep the life cycle costs of this house to minimum.
Photography by Kilian O'Sullivan