|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Shadowclad House |
| Now here's a challenge: the treehouse effect set back into a natural rock cliff. |
|
|
|
|
Designed as a treehouse and set back into a natural rock cliff, this house was a building challenge for the owner, engineer and architect-in-training, Mark Phillips. The treehouse effect was achieved using a product called Shadowclad, rough sawn cladding which helped blend the house with its environment. It also allowed Mark to incorporate unconventional curves into the design.
Mark set himself a building challenge in 1995. After acquiring an impossibly steep block of land in Sydney's southern suburbs, he was determined to build his dream home for his family. The block had many previous owners but none had been able to tackle the natural cliff running across the site overlooking the Georges River, with its dramatic fall of 22 metres and many trees and rocks.
Mark developed a design to suit the many difficulties of the slope. First a suspended concrete slab was built to serve as a building platform. Then a crane was required as steel beams and columns were put into place. Finally timber wall infills and floors, windows and Ecoply Shadowclad plywood sheets completed the house both structurally and aesthetically.
The house slides back into the cliff face and is supported by nine steel posts. No excavation of the site was required as the house was built amongst the trees and set back in the cliff. Mark believes the building's structure can be viewed in a human likeness, where the structural steelwork is the bones and the Shadowclad forms the skin.
The Shadowclad was chosen for its structural ability and its capacity to brace the whole building as well as its aesthetics. The treehouse effect was achieved using rough sawn cladding which helped to bend the house into its environment.
The ceiling windows add another dimension to the house offering glimpses of the trees and the river throughout. The circular window and curved roof adds a softening element to the overall style of the house. |
Total Cost
The house cost approximately $200,000 to build. Mark won the Hurstville Green City 2000 Building and Design Awards in two categories: Innovative Design and overall winner.
|
More Info
Mark Phillips - Architect
MJP Design
Tel: 02 9570 9593
Mob: 0414 969 496
Fax: 02 9570 9593
Email: mark@mjpdesign.com.au
For further details about Shadowclad and other Carter Holt Harvey products:
Carter Holt Harvey
22 Prospect Street
Box Hill VIC 3128
Fax: 03 9258 7655
www.chhwood.com.au
Shadowclad available from your local building supplier.
|
Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
|
|
|
|
|
