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Our client, Carmel, mentioned her passion for gardening, so we designed a house where the garden articulates the house and the house articulates the garden.

The initial challenge posed by this site was its lack of aspect. Houses in Tasmania often have views of the ocean or a mountain. So we kept asking ourselves, how do you produce a quality architectural outcome without the benefit of either?

Our solution: the contrast between the single-storey home’s black-finished exterior and the evolving lushness of the garden. The black powder-coated aluminium window frames and glazing, hold the space and bring the outside in. The resulting views are vignettes of an expansive garden, with each room connecting with an outside courtyard, making the interior seem considerably bigger than it actually is.

"It’s phenomenal to watch the house over the day, it plays with the environment, creating little pictures and moments."

Carmel, client.

While a modest budget determined the pared-back material palette, its robust aesthetic was informed by our client’s newly inherited antique book collection. The Tasmanian oak’s rich caramel tones are in contrast with the built-in storage units and shelving systems, which are finished in black (like the ceiling and exterior cladding). These dark features interrupt the patchwork arrangement and prevent each space from appearing overly cluttered.

"We wanted to embody the quality of those books in the design; their texture and all those things that make them so tasty and appealing when you think of how they feel."

Chris Gilbert, Lead Designer

"
I have never had more baths in my life, honestly I bathe now as much as I shower. I can just sit there and watch the shadow of the trees flicker over the courtyard screens."

Richard, client.

Full walls of double glazing and a restrained material palette strengthens the connection between inside and out. The sense of space is effectively doubled without the need of formal structures, the result of incorporating the high performing SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panel System).

After extensive research, Archier proposed SIPS as a highly efficient product that provided structural, insulating and aesthetic solutions. Whilst relatively new to the Australian market, it has been widely used and developed in Europe and North America. Supplied by Fenster & Panel, and installed in collaboration with Building Edge, the panels were manufactured in Canada after being 3D modelled and documented by Archier. This meant minimal on-site wastage and rapid installation time. The lightweight nature of the panels meant they could be handled and installed by hand, reducing the disruptive use of heavy machinery.

Location
: Hobart, Tasmania

Builder: Building Edge

Construction: SIPS / Panel

Size: 100m2

Completed: 2015

Photography: Adam Gibson

Awards: Tasmanian Architecture Award

Professionals used in
Five Yards House

About the
Professional

Archier creates engaging architectural spaces and bespoke products, with an emphasis on honest, responsive design and efficient construction.

ARCHIER is an architectural practice with studios in Hobart and Melbourne. We work across residential and commercial sectors and have a particular interest in the relationship between architecture and landscape. We are a privately owned company and have four principals. One of our four directors is also Landscape Architect and this gives us a unique skill-set to work seamlessly across the two domains of Architecture and Landscape.

We work across a range of scales; for a range of clients. Our work encompasses residential, commercial and government architecture; public and private landscape projects; as well as the design and manufacture of furniture and lighting products

Our innovative designs are focused on material honesty, thermal performance and constructability, as we strive for affordable and responsive architecture that contributes to the public domain.

We are interested in projects that span architecture, urban design and landscape and embrace the mantra that design is delivery. Our practice utilises BIM extensively to automate and streamline our design work-flow and we are increasingly leveraging BIM to not only aid and support the delivery and construction of our work; we are also using it directly with Off Site Manufacturers to automate the production of timber based floor, wall and roof elements directly from the coordinated design model.

Our directors have over 25 years of combined industry experience and were drawn together to create an inclusive practice that is truly outcome orientated. We have won awards across a range of disciplines connected to the built environment that recognise our design excellence and innovation, along with our commitment to sustainable buildings and the environment.

As a practice, we have worked on large scale commercial projects with a construction value in excess of $100M through Joint Venture arrangements with Hayball Architects and we have lead multidisciplinary teams for complex commercial projects over $5M in value.

We relish the opportunity to work collaboratively with clients and large project teams to incorporate specialist knowledge and expertise into our work. We are data driven and focused on quality project outcomes. We have proven project experience leading complex projects in sensitive environments and have been recognised for our contextual approach to design.

We have also been awarded for our approach to sustainability and always seek not only to optimise the thermal performance of our buildings, but also to consider the life cycle cost of our material choices.