Australian Institute of Architects Awards 2016: Contemporary luxury

Canberra’s best architectural projects will be recognised this month at the ACT Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects Awards.

As part of the institute’s awards program, The Canberra Times, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Architects and BCA Certifiers, is giving readers the opportunity to vote for their favourite house in the People’s Choice Award.

The 14 houses in the running for the award will be featured on The Canberra Times website in the lead up to the awards night on Saturday, June 25.

This week we explore three dream homes that blend contemporary design with timeless luxury.

Wild Street House

Adhami Pender Architecture

The owners of this stunning property had arranged a thoughtful brief before they approached Adhami Pender Architecture’s Nabil Adhami.

Mr Adhami said bringing the brief to life was an enjoyable journey and a result they are all very proud of. 

“My process is to develop the brief and really understand what the client is saying,” Mr Adhami said.

Clients Matt and Laurie McDonald requests included a butterfly roof design that referenced the neighbourhood’s original homes, a feature fireplace and a wine cellar.

“They liked the idea of a modern house with internal qualities that were quite decorative in nature,” Mr Adahmi said.

“Matt’s a serious chef so the house flow between the indoor and external kitchen had to be seamless.”

The owner builders faced a series of challenges along the way including manually placing the heavy, double-glazed windows and using a number of different material finishes.

The external timber cladding and internal stairs were made from timber rafters recycled from the site’s existing home.

The solar passive home was also designed with no mechanical heating or cooling. Roof eaves and external blinds help to keep the temperature comfortable throughout the year, while a striking feature fireplace is put to good use on cold and cloudy days.

The combination of the home’s orientation, solar panels and a recycled rainwater and a grey water diversion system that feeds the garden has resulted in a highly energy efficient home that costs less to run than a one-bedroom apartment.

The McDonalds said the design of the home reflects their family’s everyday needs, while minimising its impact on the environment.

“The design process really helped us distil our ideas and allowed us to explore different opportunities for the design of our home to ensure we ended up with the best house for us,” the McDonalds said.

“We still cannot believe that we’re lucky enough to live in such beautiful space.”

Banks Street

Collins Caddaye Architects

Behind this executive home’s unassuming facade lies a resort-style residence filled with surprises.

Collins Caddaye Architects arranged the home in a U-shaped configuration that connects the internal spaces to the landscaped site.

“The owners are extremely busy professionals and wanted a home that was an exclusive oasis and in particular was understated in its street expression,” architect Andrew Collins said.

“We took this as an opportunity to really play with the aesthetics so the architectural intensity increases as soon as you open the front door and calms you as you enter the public realm.”

The split-level home follows the natural slope of the block and entry is via the middle of the three levels. A lap pool at the back of the home emerges out of the ground to meet this level, allowing the pool wall to form a balustrade to the main courtyard space.

Mr Collins said the success of the project is in the details.

“We worked through the minutia of everything from secret wine cellar doors down to the letterbox, so that from day one the owners felt that the house was theirs, lived in and familiar,” Mr Collins said.

The residence is the product of a knockdown rebuild and materials have been thoughtfully reused in the new home.

“When the house was being demolished we noticed that the existing flooring was in great condition and had a beautiful colour tone so we asked the builder to store it for reuse as an interior feature,” Mr Collins said.

“Discussion with the client led us to rip the boards in half and create a batten ceiling at the entry that links the gym and the lounge spaces. Keeping a small part of the old house adds to the richness of the home both in terms of aesthetics and the story behind the design.”

SA House

Ben Walker Architects

Clean, modern detailing and design informed the brief for this sustainable home in Chifley.

Ben Walker designed the home as a wedge-shaped block that lifts to capture the northern sun.

“The brief was for a new three-bedroom home that maximised natural daylight and cross ventilation, incorporated separable living spaces, robust and durable finishes, connection to exterior spaces, provision for the hanging of a large art collection and contemporary detailing and finishes,” Mr Walker said.

White walls and ceilings along with burnished concrete floors are warmed by timber joinery, while raked ceilings in the living areas offer a sense of light and space.

“The coordination of the detailing throughout the project was a challenge,” Mr Walker said.

“The zinc panelling was fabricated in Melbourne and had to be put together like a Tetris puzzle once it arrived on the site. It’s a real credit to the skill of the builder [Alan Ewer] that its installation was fairly smooth.”

These clever details give the home a stylish edge, but they also add to the home’s energy efficiency.

“The concrete floor provides excellent opportunities for passive solar gain in winter and a source of coolth in summer,” Mr Walker said.

“In-slab hydronic heating will assist heating requirements when needed. Fans have been installed in living and sleeping spaces and avoid the need for airconditioning. The pop-up roof section in the entry gallery provides a thermal chimney for venting of hot air in the middle of summer.”

A verandah follows the northern side of the house and forms a linear courtyard. It provides a peaceful outlook from the kitchen dining areas and allows space for planting several deciduous trees.

Voters have the opportunity to register and tell us in 25 words or less which house they voted for and why they love it to go in the draw to win a bottle of Penfold’s Grange from BCA Certifiers, the official supporter of the People’s Choice Award.

Voting closes on Monday, June 20. Vote now at the Institute of Architects website.