Samford House

Architects: Bligh Graham Architects

Project Team: Project architect: Chris Bligh

Location: Pine Rivers, QLD

Constructed Area: 600 m²


Project Complete: 2008

The Stamford house is built in a suburban area on the edge of Samford Village, out looking the bushland. The house consists of three levels, from basement to second floor. The open part of the L-shaped house faces northeast and creates a courtyard with a little pool.

The theme of the house is an “occupied ruin”, that is a part of the city wall and is covered by a robust timber “outback” building. The affect of an “occupied ruin” is created by the incorporated plant life in the way of roof gardens and climbing plants on the walls. The recycled ironbark cladding adds to the “ruin” effect. The idea of the “city wall” comes from the placement of the house; on the edge of the village close to the bushland.

The entry of the house is on the street side by a path leading through a gatehouse, then through the car court and eventually to the portico and the front door. The ground floor doesn't stand on the natural ground level, but is elevated by 800 mm. The reason for this is that the basement needs to have access to natural ventilation and natural lighting. Consequently this elevation of the ground floor gives some more privacy. Furthermore the roof acts as a terrace.

Every level of the house has its own realm. The basement room is the earthy semi-underground (masculine) area, in contrast to the top floor which is the intimate part of the house (feminine) and includes the craftroom and bedroom. This level can also be referred to as an intimate “treehouse”. The ground floor/the living area is neutral; it shows the view into the courtyard garden and the bushland, which creates a connection between the outside and inside. The three realms are connected by a lift with a hidden red interior.

Natural ventilation happens by cool air that’s drawn into the basement and goes up through the central atrium and exits from the motorised clerestory louvers, expelling the warm air.

The main level has reverse veneer, which has external insulation fixed to the core filled blockwork with has a hardest plaster finish. This creates the outstanding thermal mass performance. Furthermore it has a modern mechanical plant, which, among other performance increasing elements, arranges pool heating. In addition to this, this dwelling is also very sustainable because of its use of low power lighting (LED and fluorescent lighting). Moreover a 45-kilolitre rainwater tank and lastly it has a 10 kW solar power station with both battery storage and grid interaction. This combination will actually give the building more power than it will need.

All of this makes the Samford House have a negative environmental impact.

References:

Australian Institute of Architects. 2009. http://www.architecture.com.au/awards search?option=showaward&entryno=2008049051 accessed March 4, 2010).

Bligh Graham Architects. 2007. http://www.specifier.com.au/projects/residential/38633/Bligh-Graham-Architects.html (accessed March 4, 2010).