Inspired infill
From Sanctuary issue 10. More articles like this
By Helen Norrie and Alysia Bennett
Excerpt: Wanting to build their own homes but reluctant to move to the city fringe to make their project affordable, two Hobart-based families came up with an idea that provides an excellent model for sustainable living – not just environmentally, but also economically and socially. The two families pooled their resources to buy a very steep site on the edge of the inner city, and developed the design for their houses in tandem. This allowed them to share the cost of site works, and to develop a standardised building system that could be utilised in both houses while providing enough flexibility to suit the varying needs of each family.
One of the houses is for Mike Verdouw, a director of 1+2 Architecture, and his partner Julia. The other house is for their friends Daniel and Kylie. Both families have small children, with more on the way. The friends were interested in how they could establish a model of communal living that would provide “an alternative for ordinary families seeking to live creatively in the suburbs”. Each family had a slightly different brief (with Daniel and Kylie wanting to allow the possibility to share their home with a tenant or boarder).
The site was previously an old dumping ground for construction waste, thought to be too steep to be a viable building site. It was overrun with weeds, but had a fine collection of mature Eucalyptus globulus trees to the south and spectacular views to the east. The previous owner had bulldozed a small area at the edge of the site, and this provided a relatively flat zone to manoeuvre cars and to create a shared outdoor living space – for barbeques, Frisbee throwing and bike riding. The houses were placed at either end of the site, arranged to capitalise on the views and to maximise access to any sun that could be found on the south-facing slope.
The steepness of the slope led to a desire to reduce the footprint of both buildings. Each house is double storey, with a modest floor area of 170 square metres. They are both compact rectilinear boxes, with the living spaces on the upper level to reach for the sun and give the impression of living among the tree-tops, while still being connected to the ground on both levels. The efficient plan ensures savings in construction and running costs. Every metre of floor space has been planned to achieve its greatest potential. Bedrooms are reduced to the minimum spatial requirements for sleeping, while the size and number of living spaces is increased. Each house has three living spaces, which allow for a range of uses now and as the families expand, ot their needs change.
