Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

Site Conservation

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Grose Bradley Architects, Kropach/Catlow

Farmhouse, Myocum, Australia

 e house is located in a verdant farming

valley on gently sloping terrain. Positioned

on an east-west axis with views of Mount

Warning to the north, the linear plan grants

comparable vistas to all family members.  e

building site does not disrupt the surround-

ing countryside: Other than a low fence, few

visible markers inscribe the property onto

the land.

38

Above Right  e repeated elements of

the steel frame allowed for effi ciency and

economy in construction.  e ground was

excavated only at each pier for the structure’s

foundation and footing, which minimized

soil erosion during the building phase.

Right A deck on the western side of the

house provides sheltered outdoor space.

Adjustable broad-bladed louvers on the end

façade keep it cool, obviating the need for

complex mechanical systems that would

disrupt the environment from an auditory

or visual standpoint.

Sustainable Environments

39

Above As seen in the west elevation and

north-south building section, the elevated

platform allows the descending ground

plane to slide beneath it—a low incline that

is refl ected above in the corrugated metal

roof that opens the house up to the expansive

landscape.  e design called for minimal fi ll-

ing and grading of the site.

A B C D E

Kitchen

Storage Hall Entry

Ridge RL 98.3 m (322.5')

U/S Beam RL 97.1 m (318.6')

FFL. RL 95.0 m (311.7')

Deck/Top of Beam RL 94.935 m (311.5')

2 100 mm (6.9') 65 mm (2.5")

GL

NGL

Site Conservation

40 Sustainable Environments

Saunders & Wilhelmsen Arkitektur,

Summer House, Åland, Finland

 is summer residence is erected on post

foundations so that the ground and tree roots

below would remain undisturbed, allowing

the building to be sited near existing trees.

Raising the structure slightly minimized the

need to regrade and restore the surround-

ing earth, which was particularly eff ective

since the site and region is quite fl at. As a

result, the house could be located close to

the ground without steps up to the platform.

 is proximity to grade provides a sense of

intimacy with nature for the inhabitants; the

roof terrace (whose access stairs are visible

on the right) off ers better views of the nearby

islands. Building on posts also facilitates

the reading of the structure as a continuous

folding plane that rests lightly on the land. In

fact, the architects describe the cabin as an

architectural landscape that transforms itself

from wall to fl oor to roof.